Neshat Response

I think Neshat’s response on feminism is very interesting. It is one of the things that leads me to wishing that there was another word associated with the idea of respecting women as capable and worthy of being heard. She says that she does not call herself a feminist, but when looking at her work, I see her making powerful feminist statements.

For example, Zarin, the emaciated character in her movie, is a feminist statement. To show an obviously anorexic actress is, in itself, making a feminist statement about the lives of women. To suffer from an eating disorder is a silent way of expression, and this represents the silence of women in Iran and the pain that this causes. Not only is the actress’s physical state a metaphor for the Iranian women, but it is powerful just within it’s own literal self. Showing an anorexic woman forces the viewer to be aware of this disease that is only exacerbated by the shallow state of society.

The mere fact that Shirin Nashat is a woman is, in a way, a feminist statement. The idea that her voice matters and that she had the intelligence and power to create something worthy of viewing, is, in my opinion, a feminist statement.

It is hard when such power women, like Nashat, do not call themselves feminists, because it undermines the movement. One might think, If Shirin Nashat is not a feminist, while she creates these extremely powerful works of art that glorify women, how can I be a feminist? This is why I don’t like the word feminist, as it is associated with such negative connotations, which many people are wary of being connected to.

The image I chose is of the Dalai Lama with a “This is what a feminist looks like” shirt photoshopped on. I chose this, because someone like the Dalai Lama is obviously interested in human rights and the rights of all people, including women, but he is not what you would think of when hearing the words “feminist.”