*Muslim Women and Body Image: Part I*
Published on Muslimah
Source<http://www.muslimahsource.org/wellness-health/muslim-women-and-body-image-part-i/>|
shared via
feedly <http://www.feedly.com>
Muslim Women and Body Image: Part I
By Asiyah A. and Zahra M.
*I used to hate my self and my body, and for a long time I worked very hard
to change it. Then, my efforts started making me sick. I still hated myself,
but I just could not keep hurting myself, so I searched for a new way. Now,
with Allah's help, I am learning to take care of myself and love the body
Allah has given me. It is often hard, but I know that I am beautiful just
the way Allah made me. *– MSA sister
According to Stephen Hinshaw, PhD, author of The Triple Bind, today's women
are expected to meet far too many standards. Women are expected to be good
at traditional "girl stuff" (such as empathy, good listening skills,
nurturing), most of the traditional "guy stuff" (competitiveness,
aggressiveness, career-orientedness), while also conforming to a too-narrow,
unrealistic view of what it means to be a woman (model-thin and 'hot'). This
"triple bind" offers fewer alternatives for what it means to be a beautiful,
confident woman then ever before in American history and can be an important
factor in explaining why in America about 20 percent of girls aged 10-19
experience episodes of minor depression, almost 5 percent of teenage girls
and young women suffer from an eating disorder, such as anorexia, bulimia or
binge eating, and in 2005, about one-tenth of all teenage girls had
attempted suicide. Self-mutilation is on the rise and self-esteem is
plummeting. Muslim women are not above these statistics.
Muslim American women face many of the same expectations and ideals—but
their cultures and religion add a different flavor to their understanding of
womanhood and body image. Muslim women at UC Berkeley were anonymously
surveyed about self-esteem and body image. 41 women participated and
responses varied widely. However, there were a few themes: a comfort and
conviction in the belief in inner beauty, a focus on modesty, and a
supporting sisterhood. The majority of sisters seemed content with their
bodies and displayed adequate self-esteem, but most women admitted that
media and society's standards negatively impacted their body image and
self-esteem. Most also reported that they did not focus on proper eating
habits and exercise as much as they would like. While many sisters expressed
that they did not see their bodies as objects for public consumption, a lot
expressed their desire to be married in the future and to be beautiful for
themselves and their future spouse.
The most empowering stories came from sisters who have been encouraged by
their family and accepted by other sisters as community. Being able to
identify with a larger cause and purpose (pleasing God, Islam) seemed to
correlate with less emphasis on outward beauty and less self-consciousness.
As one sister says, "All the sisters are always reassuring and always
complimenting you…that really brings my self-esteem up." Another mentioned
that, "Islam has allowed me to celebrate being a woman through modesty and
self respect. It has shown me that your body has the right to be taken care
of and is beautiful…Beauty is the noor (light). The goodness that radiates
off of you."
Some suggestions for improving self-esteem and body image were: talking
about subjects like exercise, sexuality, media pressures and nutritious
lifestyle choices such as healthy cooking in an Islamic framework;
complimenting one another more, especially on good character; avoiding
backbiting others; encouraging Muslim men to rise above shallowness and
instead to be respectful and supportive of sisters' struggles; promoting
enjoyable exercise through the RSF (gym), hiking, yoga, or reserving
women-only pools for swimming.
Collaborating with other sisters to foster community and improved health was
suggested by several women. Many sisters appreciated the survey and want to
see more discussion on this topic in order to better understand themselves
and other sisters and, thus, actively work towards improving their own
self-esteem, and helping others to do the same. As for being beautiful for a
spouse, Alhamdulillah we have a choice in who we marry, we can make it a
requirement for our spouse that they will love and cherish us as we are. And
it is possible to find that— as one of our sisters put it, "If Allah can
make the sun rise in the east and set in the west, he can make a spouse who
is perfect for you."
As women who are exposed to a plethora of standards and expectations from
others, we need to ask ourselves the hard and self-defining questions about
what it means to be women, what our own goals in life are and whose approval
or lack thereof impacts our self-esteem. As Muslims, our ideas of
self-esteem are human and prone to the same influences that affect everyone
around the world. However, the moral compass of Islam helps us take a step
back and realize that the One we need to please is our Creator and
Sustainer, Allah (swt). Our positive self-regard should come from being His
beloved and His servants. Allah says in the Qur'an: "*And We have indeed
honored the children of Adam *(Muslims, non-Muslims, women, men, all)…"
(Qur'an 17:70) This is an honor as God Himself declares His respect for
human beings. So how then can human beings disrespect themselves?
Furthermore, if an individual remembers God, He will remember that
individual. (Qur'an 2:152) And what beauty and comfort it is to remember
that "*Allah** *does not *look* at your appearance or your possessions, but
He *looks* at *your heart* and your *deeds*." (Hadith-Sahih Muslim) Imagine
if we were turned inside out with our physical appearances hidden and our
hearts and character turned outward—would our character shine with the
efforts we had placed to work on it just as we obsess over our external
appearances?
Still, Islam is always the middle way and encourages us to stay clean and
stay healthy as our body is a trust from Allah. It is time to recognize,
however, that dwelling too much over areas of ourselves we have no control
over whilst focusing on others' expectations rather than pleasing God [the
purpose of our lives] is indeed a spiritual disease, a common sickness of
the heart plaguing everyone, including the authors themselves.
As Hinshaw points out, the best cure for the 'triple bind" is to associate
with a community and form a higher purpose in life. Truly, all of our
various communities offer us spaces and resources to develop ourselves. We
should work on developing our own identities and purpose(s) within these
frameworks while working towards the pleasure of Allah and not waiver in our
abilities to support ourselves through discussion groups, halaqas and
sisterhood. Finally, no expectations from anyone but God should hinder any
individual, male or female, from figuring out who they really are and where
their unique talents lie. Truly, by serving God and then by serving His
creation, one has unlimited means to feel good about themselves—a part of a
larger, meaningful whole.
*Originally published in Al-Bayan, UC Berkeley Muslim student publication*
Feedly. Feed your mind. http://www.feedly.com <http://www.feedly.com/#mail>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
=======================
Milis Wanita Muslimah
Membangun citra wanita muslimah dalam diri, keluarga, maupun masyarakat.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wanita_muslimah
Situs Web: http://www.wanita-muslimah.com
ARSIP DISKUSI : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/messages
Kirim Posting mailto:wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com
Berhenti mailto:wanita-muslimah-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Milis Keluarga Sejahtera mailto:keluarga-sejahtera@yahoogroups.com
Milis Anak Muda Islam mailto:majelismuda@yahoogroups.com
Milis ini tidak menerima attachment.Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
wanita-muslimah-digest@yahoogroups.com
wanita-muslimah-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
wanita-muslimah-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
0 comments:
Post a Comment