General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Pornography, especially violent variants, furthers rape culture... [View all]Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)Precisely because the last thing we need is more authoritative bodies making legal decisions for women.
However, and this is important, I think it is terribly important not to further a social structure conducive to oppressive rhetoric and violent imagery against women.
Is there a possible world where dress like the hijab can be liberatory? I believe so, yes. And so do other scholars. However, that there is a possible world where such dress could be liberatory does not mean that the general trend is toward liberation. It absolutely isn't. In countries where burkas and hijabs are most used, the dresses are required by law. That's a very serious problem.
It's important, still, to consider the reality that it is not only legal sanctions that we need to address. Just as the social and legal expectation of women to cover up is oppressive, so too is the social expectation that women reveal their bodies. The core issue with both of these trends is the objectification of the female body and the erasure of female autonomy.
Women should be educated on the historical and social significance of certain types of dress. However, most importantly, women must be free to do whatever they want with their bodies.