Lebanese Over-Femininity
November 25, 2009 at 11:47 am 1 comment
I’m sure a few of you can relate to this scenario:
“My new social environment in Beirut demanded that I be more feminine-looking. It demanded that girls look like girls and boys like boys. It demanded that I style my hair weekly at the hairdresser. Adorn my fingernails with bright polish. Speak softly and giggle often. Wear clothes that hugged my body, to show off my childbearing hips. No one knew how to deal with my tomboyish personality. My aunt would sigh every time I walked in with dirty sandals. My grandmother would shrug her shoulders when she saw me in torn-up jeans. And my cousins believed I was a hopeless case and that no one would ever marry me. How could anyone marry someone who only wore white baggy T-shirts?”– Zeina el Khalil (Beirut, I Love You)
Posted on: Half and Half << A fresh outlook on Lebanese culture through the eyes of Colette (a 24-year old American who recently moved to the Middle East)
Entry filed under: Floating. Tags: beirut, blog, femininity, Half & Half, I Love You, Lebanon, quote, women, Zeina el Khalil.
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Pierre | November 25, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I think it’s offensive for “culture” to think that Lebanese are capable of “culture;” hummus perhaps, but not much more.