In July 2021 Netflix released a new reality series following the life of Julia Haart, an American Fashion Designer and entrepreneur who fled her ultra-orthodox Jewish community, called “My Unorthodox Life”. Throughout the series, Haart displays the oppression she herself and other women within the repressive orthodox community face, in which they are deprived of basic rights, deprived of proper education, are seen as unequal to men and are only acknowledged as objects whose duty is to bear children.
The reality show quickly upset many people within the Yeshivish community in Monsey, New York due to feeling insulted by Haart’s representation in the series. Yet, it is ultimately clear that a discrepancy exists between the two genders as women are forced to pray in segregated balconies, are advised against wearing pants, and are prohibited from becoming rabbis. Thus, it is safe to assume these women are living amongst injustice, although some people in the community might not see it as just that.
Similarly, orthodox Muslim communities have been oppressing women for centuries where sexism and misogyny continue to reside. Much like these ultra-orthodox Jewish communities, women are defined by modesty, inherently translating to honor. To push against this, some Muslim women have been fighting against being forced to wear the hijab. While many women feel empowered by their hijab, others can feel silenced due to the law of having to cover themselves without freedom of choice, catalyzing further injustice and oppression.
Islamic ideology is designed to keep women hidden and unseen. If we discuss this in terms of Iran, women are not able to become President. Women are not able to become judges. Women are not able to leave the country without the permission of their husbands. Women are banned from attending certain sporting events. What are women allowed to do for example? They are allowed to compete in sporting events that require the removal of the hijab but only in all-female stadiums. Clearly, this ideology survives on being purely patriarchal, yet it is difficult to decipher the difference between respecting the laws of a culture and allowing one to have the freedom of choice everyone innately deserves because of its subjectiveness.
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian women’s activist continues to openly fight against the law that states that women have to wear a hijab or head covering when in public. While women are raised to keep their heads down and stay silent, Masih’s personality identifies as the opposite. Masih explains the 1979 revolution in Iran to be a revolution against women when it became mandatory to wear the hijab “because it was the most visible and essential way of controlling the women”. After being sentenced to prison once and after being the first woman to get divorced, Masih just like Julia Haart left her oppressive community and moved to the United Kingdom. The freedom and power to choose were all Masih ever desired. There are people who choose and embrace wearing the hijab which is a choice. Thus, should it not be a choice if people do not want to wear it?
It is a choice to challenge the male-dominated outlook that constitutes the identification of women being seen as the property of men. The government should not have a part in deciding what a woman should or should not wear. This fight is an indirect resistance to sexism as a whole, while simultaneously being a direct fight for feminism. If women defend their rights, the automatic governmental response should not include the rejection, shunning, or imprisonment of those women. Without the basic right of being able to choose whether a woman wants to wear a hijab or not, women have no real ability to express themselves, who they are, and their individuality.
Ultimately, this fight is not legitimately about a garment or a head covering, but about a woman’s honor, worth, and respectability. If a woman does not have the right to choose how or what she wears, how can she proceed, move on, and live with dignity? If she does not have the ability to choose if she wants to cover her head, how will she be able to control her thoughts and ever understand the meaning of true freedom?
This blog post was incredibly informative! I watched the entire season of My Unorthodox Life upon its release this summer and I found Julia Haart’s journey to be interesting and one that I had personally never seen before. However, after watching the season, I followed the backlash that ensued from the Yeshivish community in Monsey which you referenced and as someone who is an outsider on this topic and this culture, it was truly informative to listen to the concerns that the community expressed about the Netflix series juxtapose the concerns that Julia discussed within the series. As I am someone who does not belong to any of the communities in question, I want to navigate this space as respectfull…
This blog had me very interested. Through the film how you explain Haart basically shows us the oppression her community faced, really caught my attention. I feel like more people should make more films/series about the oppression their community faces because it gives a clear visual what they go through. I feel like women should be able to express themselves no matter what religion they are apart of.
This post was so informative and your insights are super interesting about the unorthodox relationship with fashion and gender. I think fashion is such an interesting lens to explore religious restriction of femininity because obviously every woman is different with the ways they express and feel the most beautiful and empowered. I am definitely going to watch that show now also.
I find the relationship between religion and gender equality to be a very interesting one, and though you've pointed out such a clear connection to fashion itself (on theme with other posts on your blog), I hadn't thought of it that way before. I believe that woman should have the choice to express their religion with their clothing, whether that is following tradition or deviating from it. I find it interesting (and maybe worth even more investigation) that bans exist on both sides of the head covering issue (as Ida pointed out was the case in France).
I thought that this piece was incredibly interesting and informative. I completely agree with you that everyone should be able to dress however they want no matter their religion or where they live. I always think about the scene in the movie Sex and City 2 in Abu Dhabi where Samantha finally starts dressing for herself instead of following the rules of being covered. I think fashion is the ultimate form of personal expression and it's important that all women get to experience the freedom of being able to wear whatever they want.