http://surface2air.posterous.com/princess-hijab-culture-jamming-feminism-creat
I thought I would just try searching for feminist culture jams, and this photo/culture jam above really jumped out at me. First thoughts of this photo without reading the below article (which is attached to the link below the culture jam) was that the protest could be about many religions, cultures, ethnicities and many other marginalized groups of people who are left out in a sense that they are told by advertising companies that they; the 'other' are not accepted into 'what is normal'/what a 'normal' person looks like.
Also, I thought it was interesting that the photo is of male models and the veils are drawn on them, when in actuality women are veiled in that particular culture. So in my mind it was a protest for women's rights and freedom to be who she is without being 'shut up' or silenced or 'veiled'.
In regards to this culture jam I had many thoughts which some are stated above, however after reading the article below the posted culture jam I realized it was much deeper than that, in discussing how "France, Switzerland, Belgium and other European nations have had a difficult time reconciling Islamic communities and their emergent visibility in cities and suburbs" (Surface2air, 2010). Obviously this culture jam recognizes racism across community/country leaders, and demonstrates it by painting the veils on white, male, American-cultured models from a well known advertising company in order to reach audiences who may have not given much thought to the political racism going on in our present time because it is so out of sight. Issues like the one this culture jam is expressing are only shown in snip-its of media coverage, and perhaps only more often if a person is looking for information on the issue to begin with through media sources like the internet, or newspaper articles, etc.
Culture jamming can be seen as elitist in the view that without education on the issue being presented through the jam, one will not understand the larger message. However, without myself fully knowing/understanding the extent of this message it still got me interested and stuck out greatly in my mind. This is one of the more political culture jams I've come across so far, and while I did not fully understand the intended message to begin with, I became educated on the issue myself because of the interest it sparked within me after having viewed it. So regardless of culture jamming being elitist, I believe that the messages put out there by jammers will reach vast audiences regardless of how educated on the issue they are, and perhaps will get more people involved in the movement and with the issues in the world that are so often forgotten about, hopefully making culture jamming applicable to larger and larger audiences.
-Dougie
I totally agree with you about the fact that culture jamming can be elitist in the "view that without education on the issue being presented through the jam, one will not understand the larger message." There are a lot of jams that I have seen that I did not understand, like the "Nike" one with the woman running with the baby without runners on... I didn't realize until people started to deconstruct it - that there are lot of underlying messages, I also didn't know that many negative things about Nike, I own Nike runners and now everytime I look at them, I think of that ad! I do however feel that even though people may not understand the jam at first (like the dolce and gabanna one) that it may motivate people to research the products that they are buying into.
ReplyDeleteB-Bloggin
Hey Dougie
ReplyDeleteThis picture that you found is incredible! I love it for two reasons you already mentioned - it speaks out for marginalized religions, cultures and or groups, but also for women! The veil is drawn over the white male - which is oddly refreshing I must say.
Over the summer I took a course and studied women living in Afghanistan. It is actually scary that laws like "mandatory veiling" exist, and that when a women is out in public she must be clothed from head to toe. However, if she chooses not to abide by these rules, then she has technically given men the option to beat her in public (according to Afghanistan culture).
This photo contrasts greatly: on the one hand you have the young, white, upper-class male who is wealthy, educated, and in this case a model. Opportunities and freedom are not thought of twice, as these are obvious parts of life, and a luxurious life at that. This man probably isn't too concerned with global issues like racism and women's inequalities, and therefore is probably an active participant in society's cyclic consumerist machine. On the other hand you have the young, Arabian or "other race", lower-class woman, who is poor, exploited, uneducated and in this case probably a stay at home mother and wife. Opportunities do not exist because she is a female in a third world country, and freedom is completely unheard of, (these would be extreme luxuries to any woman that could get them). She is very concerned with issues like racism and women's inequalities but is trapped within her own patriarchal society and therefore cannot do anything to help. Consumerism is probably not a term she bothers to care about much.
This photo speaks in volumes, but what is very unfortunate about it is that the white privileged male models in the advertisement will probably never know of it's existence, or bother to care.
Cheers
The Veiled Interpreter
Good find Dougie - I liked the analysis; it coule also be a form of Muslim feminist activism, some of which tries to make western women aware of how our own patriarchal culture requires us to reveal our bodies for sexualized and objectified reasons (short skirts, low-tops, high heels, etc.), in the same [but different] way that SOME Muslim patriarchal societies require their women to cover themselves. There are some pretty strong critiques of the West=liberated / Muslim=oppressed feminist paradigm, and I initially read the jam as a Muslim feminist one: "Stop sexually objectifying yourselves already! You're human beings" etc.
ReplyDeleteThe Doctor
Some culture jams could be hard to interpret without an article or blurb following it. But sometimes I think culture jams could be area specific and relevant to a city or community where there is something big happening. I should try and see if there are any "Cdn" culture jams out there that maybe other countries wouldn't get. Could be interesting..........
ReplyDeleteI did like this particular picture and without reading the article I'm sure everyone would have a different opinion.
Bakerella