Zainab Al-Suwaij Does More than Wear Make-Up & Perfume
Today, a profile of Zainab Al-Suwaij, co-founder of the American Islamic Congress, appeared on the front page of the Washington Post Style section. Reporter Emily Wax takes the piece’s placement in the Style section to heart. In the 1,771 word piece, the first two paragraphs are spent describing Al-Suwaij’s style – her “jet black Pakistani kohl” and “Christian Dior perfume. She’s “tall” and “raven haired.”
She’s also a powerful and outspoken leader among American Muslims and an international activist. She’s worked with young revolutionaries involved in the Arab Spring uprisings. She’s been a revolutionary herself, shot in the neck during a guerilla uprising against Saddam Hussein. And now she leads the non-profit organization the American Islamic Congress that works to protect the civil rights of Muslim Americans.
Unfortunately, those who read just the first part of her profile that appeared on the front page wouldn’t know any other that. They would, however, be very well-informed about her perfume and make-up preferences.
One of the important guidelines in Name It. Change It.‘s Media Guide to Gender Neutral Coverage is not to write about a woman’s physical appearance unless similar comments would be made about a man’s. Such comments detract from the substance of a woman’s work and belittle her. Would a profile of a man in Al-Suwaij’s position describe the hair gel he used in his chestnut hair after he “spritzed” himself with brand-name cologne? Probably not. So similar remarks shouldn’t be made in coverage of a woman.
Sometimes clothing or appearance can be symbolically significant for both men and women. When that’s the case, Name It. Change It. understands that a comment about “a saffron-scented Arabic fragrance that she had mixed at a souk in Kuwait — an assertion, [Al-Suwaij] said, of her Muslim-Western identity” might be appropriate. There’s a difference between that and a drive-by reference to her appearance – one is specifically referenced by the subject and reflects an important part of her identity and the other takes away from coverage of her words and work.
It’s exciting to see a powerful woman who’s “an unstoppable voice for reform in the Middle East” profiled in the Washington Post. But that excitement quickly fades into frustration when the first sentence only tells you about her make-up. Al-Suwaij is an impressive leader, and her profile should reflect and respect that rather than objectify her.
Published by Kate McCarthy on 07/11/2012