On an overly ostentatious airplane enroute to Abu Dhabi, everyone’s favorite no-nonsense lawyer Miranda says to the stewardess, “Haan ji. That means ‘yes’ [in Arabic].”
Sitting in the dark movie theater amid throngs of estrogen, I sucked in my breath and muttered, Here we go.
I have long been a fan of Sex and the City, the HBO series that followed four women in New York City through love, life, and career highs and lows. And I was not alone. Women everywhere are avid fans of the show, embracing each character as an extension of themselves, as friends they felt they knew for years.
It was this loyalty that drove me to see Sex and the City 2 last weekend, despite having hated the first film, and despite knowing the rumored Muslim stereotypes I’d be witnessing. I held my breath and hoped the “stereotypes” I had read about in reviews were harmless attempts by Hollywood to exoticize the Middle East. It couldn’t be that bad, right?
It was worse.
Most of the film was set in Abu Dhabi, the more responsible Emirate brother of Dubai, (though SATC2 was actually filmed in Morocco, see my sister’s related report for CNN). Samantha, oversexed-borderline-menopausal PR executive, was offered an all-expenses paid trip to the glittery city, so of course she took her girls along for the ride. Miranda instantly became the Britannica Encyclopedia of everything Middle East, with “Whoah-you’d-never-guess” factoids about the burka, niqab, the Arabic language, and even the burkini (yes, even the burkini made an entrance). I am sure if we slow motion rewound some of the scenes, we’d hear SATC creator Darren Star and director Michael Patrick King chanting, “Who’s culturally sensitive?! We are! America, Eff Yeah!“
But cultural sensitivity might be appreciated if it was actually done properly. Instead, the Arab culture references were sprinkled throughout the script more to polarize this foreign and mysterious “other” than to truly inform a Western audience about the nuances of Islam and the Middle East. Wajahat Ali said it best when he noted at Salon.com,
Our four female cultural avatars, like imperialistic Barbies, milk Abu Dhabi for leisure and hedonism without making any discernible, concrete efforts to learn about her people and their daily lives. An exception is Miranda, whose IQ drops about 100 points as she dilutes the vast complexities of a diverse culture into sound bites like this: “‘Hanh Gee’ means ‘yes’ in Arabic!” Only it doesn’t — it’s Hindi and Punjabi, which is spoken by South Asians.
Upon their arrival in Abu Dhabi, Miranda also incorrectly affirms that all women in the Middle East have to cover themselves [with a bejeweled burqa]. As Carrie looks on in horror at an Arab woman attempting to eat a french fry underneath her veil, Samantha states, “It’s like they don’t want [women] to have a voice.”
A couple points. First – not all women in the Middle East are covered. Saudi Arabia? Yes. But have you ever seen a Lebanese music video? Have you walked down the street in Cairo? Modesty may be key to most Islamic societies, but that doesn’t mean all women wear the niqab. Despite the diversity of women in the region – some covered, others not, some conservative, others liberal or moderate – the film instead portrayed a sea of silenced Muslim females shroud in black, sentenced to shove one french fry at a time underneath their veil. Poor, poor, hungry, Muzzy women.
Second – not all people in the Middle East are Muslims, and certainly not all Muslims are in the Middle East. For the love of God, do we still have to make that point? Abu Dhabi is not a representative of the entire “Muslim World.”
Third – Samantha [*cough* Star & King] may think that women are not allowed a voice, but if they had one, would they want to sound like her? The sexually empowered menopausal woman who screams, “Lawrence of My-Labia”? The one who throws condoms at angry souk men yelling, “I am a woman! I have sex!”? Somehow strung-out mental patient comes more to mind than empowered, opinionated woman.
I walked into the film not thinking I’d care so much about negative Muslim stereotypes. Sex and the City, (the show) for many women, was an escape from reality, a glittery and glamorous life we all wish we could live, with women we all wish we could be friends with.
But it was also a deeper discussion of issues we all faced but had not raised with each other. Sex and the City symbolized, for all its fans, woman empowerment through sisterhood. And while the second film was an attempt to enforce that idea, through the foursome’s journey to Abu Dhabi, it also failed to find a similar and deeper connection with women in that part of the world. Instead of the film using its ‘girl power’ appeal to explore the nuances and truly engage the Arab/Muslim/Middle Eastern woman, it polarized them as the “other,” victims of an oppressive patriarchal society. Ali, in his Salon.com piece, concluded, “After completely dissing the Middle East, its people, its religion and its culture, it’s “Sex and the City” that truly insults the Muslim women, by silencing them entirely.”
Ridiculous! What was the reason the director and producer decided to take this NYC based show in to the middle east? Has there been any feedback from them explaining their rationale?
Awesome piece, Kalsoom!
Really great piece Kalsoom.
Excellent post and as usual enjoyed the read thoroughly
A
Hats off to you Nina, You talked on behalf of every women in “that part of the world”
XOX
Who’s Nina?
Oh, come on, it’s just a movie! You are being over-sensitive, over-intellectualizing (a movie based around the ‘sex life’ of a few imaginary women.)
It can’t possibly be a good platform to make any sort of cultural or feminist point, we all know that.
Plus, it’s great to hear they consider ‘Hanh ji’ to be Arabic.
You have a point. It is just a movie and when the third one comes out, people will go see that too. But as a fan, I was disappointed with the storyline and as a Muslim, I was disappointed by the ridiculous stereotypes they used. I certainly don’t expect cultural enlightenment from SATC. I do, however, expect to laugh. What I did instead was cringe throughout the movie, and that is never fun.
Orezavi,
It’s easy for a guy & a non-fan to roll your eyes about the entire phenomenon. And the truth is, it is frothy entertainment and it was supposed to be a fun summer movie. But the television show was arguably pretty revolutionary and dealt with many serious issues related to feminism and women. The show may have been called “Sex” and the City but it was far more than being “based around the sex life of a few imaginary women.”
So as I mentioned in the post, I did walk in thinking I wouldn’t care about harmful stereotypes, it is just a movie. But as I also noted, I am a fan of the SHOW, which did much to touch on serious and pertinent issues related to women (in my opinion) – so I did feel the negative stereotypes were both disappointing and worthy of this post. More importantly, negative stereotypes, as much as they are the reality in Hollywood – are NEVER ok, esp. at a time when perceptions of Muslims and Islam are so tenuous.
No, it wasn’t a show JUST about the sex lives of four women (as is the obvious conclusion from the name). It raised a lot of really important points…a lot of these issues independent women in Pakistan are facing now. For example in one of the episodes, Miranda buys herself an incredible apartment…and the real estate agent constantly keeps asking her who’s paying for her down-payment (her father, boyfriend, husband etc.) I have been in a similar situation!
Haven’t seen it yet but the second movie does sound like a complete disaster. That just makes me really sad.
Brilliant, brilliant and god-damn brilliant. This post is the perfect kind of justified attack on an extremely biased movie like SATC. I just couldn’t believe the paradoxes the movie kept portraying. In an effort to ‘save silenced women from patriarchal pressure’, the movie itself silenced an entire culture.
I loved this post.
[…] I sucked in my breath and muttered, Here we go. I have long […] Read more at: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan arabic language, britannica encyclopedia, burka, burkini, career highs, cnn, cultu, cultural […]
GREAT GREAT post.
I agree wholeheartedly… but err, maybe I should see the film first?
But still, I know my future thoughts will agree with what you’ve written.
Wow! What a good review. SATC3 will take them into middle-ground, though. Like Lahore …
Thanks everyone!
It is a shame SATC2 really missed the opportunity to do what made the series so special, which is exploring the concept of feminism and female friendship today — the film could have expanded that theme to Middle Eastern women, looking at similarities and differences between cultures and countries in a nuanced way… but nope, underneath the niqab (and with such come-hither eyes, woo woo), Middle Eastern women are *just like us.* What a pity.
Kalsoom, as always, your piece is poignant and really hits on the core issue of this movie – the distilling of a diverse culture and religion into one-dimensional stereotypes laden with prejudice that dissolve the individuality of a members of a culture, and in a sense, strip them of their humanity. I feel betrayed by Star and King, who really do use these four women we’ve felt so close to over the past 10 years to highlight the ‘Other’ in Arab/Muslim women and highlight the differences between the Western women (unequivocally portrayed as liberated, free, and the true image of what is it to be a ‘feminist’), and the poor oppressed, voiceless Arab women.
I use the words ‘Arab’ and ‘Muslim’ interchangeably here with full knowledge that in this movie, and many like it, they ARE deemed interchangeable. One of the many harmful stereotypes this movie perpetuates is the idea that all Arabs are Muslim, and all Muslims are Arab. This, as educated people know, is far from the case. The largest populations of Muslims don’t actually live in any one of the 22 diverse Arab countries. Likewise, the Arab countries are home to people of different religions, ethnicity and cultural backgrounds.
The images of the American feminists in this movie assume that they are representative of the world’s feminists. As if feminism resides in the ability to have sex on a beach in public. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that illegal in America – deemed “indecent exposure”? The American women’s fight for suffrage in the 1800s was met with stiff resistance, and yet those women triumphed and the women of SATC2 are able to enjoy the fruits of those labors. On the flip side, non-Western women are expected to use the exact same vernacular of the Western feminists, a vernacular which grew out of their particular struggle, culture, location and experiences. Otherwise, Arab/Muslim women will remain hopelessly oppressed and voiceless. In addition, they are expected to conform to Western standards as opposed to perfecting their own societies from the inside, and finding a feminism that works within their religious and cultural framework. Feminism is not a one-size-fits-all concept.
Thank you SATC2 for being yet another notch in the Hollywood bedpost of harmfully negative Arab and Muslim stereotypes. As if there weren’t already enough cases of prejudice against Arabs and Muslims in this country..
Thanks Serena-
You made a really good point about Western feminism versus feminism in the rest of the world – does empowerment mean conforming to Western standards of what it means to be a strong powerful woman? In the case of SATC, does a woman have to bear her legs and be openly sexual to be considered “empowered” – No, and not even in the West. Empowerment involves finding avenues amid the obstacles to emphasize your place in society, it means earning respect within your culture while still achieving your goals.
Excellent post! How revolting that they still succumb to such blatant stereotypes? What was the purpose of setting in Abu Dhabi if they weren’t going to positively educate the masses?? And “haan jee???” EPIC FAIL.
Oh come on. I mean it’s SATC. Since when did the show represent reality?! One certainly didn’t watch any of the seasons upon seasons to gain intellectual perspective on…anything! So why expect the movie to do so?
Cultural integrity is not something that is done well by most of Hollywood, there are numerous films to support this and not just related to the Muslim world but really anything outside of the great continent. It’s not a book looking to get a Nobel prize, it’s a movie about 4 fake women of NYC.
We are quick to judge things like this and point to the dumbness of the average American and though it’s our responsiblity to educate let’s choose the right platform to do so. SATCis not one to pick on.
In regards to cultural generalization, it’s something that happens both ways. We had someone visit us from Karachi last summer who attended a Pakistani wedding wearing a spaghetti stap shalwar kameez and said “wow I would thought that everyone in america wore sleeveless” My point being that the stereotypical opinions exist everywhere. We just tend to pin point only ones we choose to see.
regardless of my opinion on this post, it is well written. Keep it up. I love waking up at 8am and getting fired up!!! Haha.
SD,
Thanks for your comment! The television show was escapist but there were many elements of reality and issues that real women faced – it was why the show appealed to such a wide array of women and why it was considered so ground-breaking.
So yes, I see your point, but I also disagree that just because something is a fun summer movie negative stereotypes are given a green light. I am not saying it should have gone in with a magnifying glass and looked at every issue with fine toothed comb, but it WAS disappointing that a show that discussed sisterhood so well, failed to do just that with women in that part of the world.
More importantly, why go to the Middle East at all? They could have just stayed in NYC and we wouldn’t be having this discussion. And honestly, (this is in support of your point), if they went to London and did every stereotypical London thing we probably wouldn’t be having this in-depth of a discussion. But the crux of the issue is that this a time where negative stereotypes are abound in Hollywood, and as much as it’s the reality, it is also *not* ok. If the stereotypes were limited to the harmless ones (like Haan ji or palatial hotels) I probably wouldn’t care at all – but they cast the issue of women oppression versus their empowerment with such an imperialist arrogant stroke that I did think it was worth being picked on. That is just me though.
Point very well made KL 🙂
Ps I just thought of the post a couple of years ago on your blog about the hijab. That’s a good one to refer to for reverse stereotype I suppose.
“Haan ji. That means ‘yes’ [in Arabic].” That is [in Urdu/Hindi]
No one says or recognizes “Haan ji” as ‘yes’ in Arabic. It is “N’aAm’ or ‘AiWah’ which is equal to Yes or Haan Ji
Exactly.
Don’t forget the scene where the foursome finally find Arab women acceptable – when the hijaabis take off their abaayas to reveal obnoxious, designer dresses. I am absolutely appalled this movie was even made.
Great article Kals, you perfectly captured all my annoyances with the film. Here’s to hoping there is no Part 3. We need to bury this franchise and move on.
Amen to that!
Haha I thought it was an absolute brilliant call out on a culture that is obsessed with money, status, Designers, “things” etc etc. Please don’t turn an eye on to the fact that THAT is part of the reality of the Arab culture.
Oh it DEFinitely is – I mean I know of so many women who wear clothes like that underneath their abayas, which are also pretty fabulous and blinged out. Materialism certainly exists in that culture. And the dichotomy between the glittery Abu Dhabi/Dubai versus the harsh realistic undertones of a police state were also pretty apt.
Thanks Kalsoom. I was mortified by not only the portryal of Arab and Muslim women, but also of the portrayal of the Samantha, Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as loose, ignorant American women. The movie was filled with cultural insensitivities and inaccuracies. Thanks for pointing them out.
Awesome piece. Great line by Ali. Btw, Sarah Jessica Parker was a producer on this film, so she can also be held responsible for the negativity that was shown.
Anyways, Carrie is super annoying- who wants to be friends with someone who constantly narrates/analyzes/questions every move she makes. What an idiot.
Nice post. Saw your sister’s report as well. She has a delightful accent. What is it? Brit-Pakistani accent, maybe?
Thanks! British-y I suppose? Product of years of traveling and globetrotter parents maybe!
Ladies and Gents, are we not missing the point? This is the way middle America thinks of Arabs/Islam/Muslims. Hollywood is just providing consumption fodder to it’s natural buyer – particularly in the current climate. One of the earliest films released in 1915, considered to be screen’s first masterwork, gave a positive portrayal of the KKK.
It should n’t be acceptable and you are right to be offended and disappointed. It’s not surprising though, or is it? Feel people are a little surprised?
Let’s focus on being involved with educating the public about what who we really are – let’s take ownership and make films with the right messages (that also make money). At present, given the rise of terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism, elements in Hollywood are obviously ready to cash in on what they see as the bizarre Arab world. Our response should be a positive one rather than a negative one: otherwise we may just come across as humbugs because the ground is not yet fertile.
“Modesty may be key to most Islamic societies, but that doesn’t mean all women wear the niqab. ”
Define Modesty….
From an American point of view Burqa is imprisonment. I can see that. But, you cant make statements like that. Modesty in America is completely different concept than the Middle East.
But, anyday I’d take the American version of Modesty,with all the freedom and open-mindedness. Do Saudi Arabian women have any choice but to walk around in a Burqa?
Also, its interesting that a Pakistani descent person gets slightly offended by portrayal of Middle Eastern women. I bet if this movie was shot in North Korea you wouldn’t care/taken offense to that extent.
Hello Hello (I just wanted to say that),
You’re right modesty is a relative term, which is why I said modesty may be key to most Islamic societies, but in countries where the state or society doesn’t dictate what you wear (like Saudi), the term “modesty” can be interpreted by the woman in question – that is why in Pakistan, you’ll see some women wearing the hijab and others with their hair exposed. It’s their prerogative.
And you’re right, I’d probably get indignant about crazy stereotypes about North Korea (or any other country) but I may not feel as offended as to write a post than if a film paints a broad stroke about Islam and Muslim women. Just because I’m Pakistani doesn’t mean I can’t get offended about the connotations SATC2 made about the Middle East, because they were using the Middle East to reflect ALL Muslim women or ALL Islamic societies. Pakistan, last I checked, is an Islamic society, and also last I checked I am a Muslim woman.
Dear Hello,
I think you are making a rash generalization by stating that all “Americans” believe that the hijab is imprisonment. Are there no Americans who wear the hijab? Do all Americans really think this is a form of imprisonment? I think not. I agree, however, that a large percentage might agree with you. All? probably not.
Also, there are a variety of reasons that some women choose to veil. Yes, I said choose, voluntarily. Some might not choose it, on the other hand, some opt to veil. Although I may not agree with it, but one cannot simply discount the aspect of free will that may go into the decision to veil, and the freedom that may result from it. I do not want to get into a discussion on the intricacies of veiling, but I wanted to point out that an issue such as this one cannot be reduced simply to one dimension, and generalized without really understanding the background and the culture behind the phenomenon.
Why do you only mention Saudi Arabian women? Do you feel that they are truly representative of all Arabs or Muslims? Or are they simply the easiest to pick on? I was under the impression that they represented a unique situation. Why don’t you discuss the rights of women in Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, or Syria or any of the other 22 Arab countries or the women in other Muslim countries not part of the Arab world? What about Iraq in the 1970s where Iraqi women had the highest literacy rates of all the Arab countries, and worked in every sector of the society?
As an American I was embarrassed by this movie. Tilsim, I have to disagree with you: referencing the KKK in relation to this film is taking it a bit too far. Most Americans do not have some racist caricature of the Middle East or Muslims, which makes SATC2 all the more appalling. The film’s horrible reviews and public discomfort with the movie I took to be a reflection of American sentiment: what was up on that screen was offensive, inaccurate, and made a mockery of everyone in the audience, regardless of race, gender, religion, or cereal preference (as in, this puppy was offensive across the board).
Perhaps most Americans are uneducated about Islam, but that doesn’t mean they are off to fetch their white hoods from storage. Islam and the Middle East are the unknown to us Americans, and the unknowns in this world are usually defined by two responses: curiosity and fear. I like to believe the former far outweighs the latter. Perhaps the film’s producers had good intentions to try and make this unknown a bit more familiar to Americans, but it completely failed. This illegitimate heir of Sex and the City inspired no curiosity, no laughter, and no sense of escapism. It did, however, cause a wave of cringing in the audience. Kalsoom, bravo, as always for your observations, humor, and ability to spark discussion. 🙂
As a side note, I was almost equally horrified by the opulence of the movie- bad timing. Most people can’t relate to characters’ whose biggest fear is riding coach during a time of economic crisis. The series and even the first movie had more depth than that.
I was never a big fan of the show and I thought the 1st was just dumb. I must say though, I dont think such portrayal is that much of a surprise- this is hollywood blockbuster film. We may just be extra sensitive about the portrayal of the middle east b/c of what is happening these days (the ME Conflict, the typcal cultural stereotyping, etc) but trust me, its not just the middle east. Only VERY recently that East Asians are starting to be portrayed in hollowoood more culturally appropriately (beyond karate, kung fu and Geishas). Trust me when I first came to the US, people would ask me where I was from. When I say I’m half Japanese, most Americans would say, “Oh, Karate kid, HAI Mr Miyagi!!” as if ALL the japanese knew how to do karate… sad….
I can honestly say that ‘Hero’ is one of the very few shows that actually use a Japanese actor to play the role of a Japanese person- in most cases, they have Chinese and Koreans play Japanese and have them speak ‘japanese’ with a thick accent (which, I can tell).
Incidentally, Heroes is also one of the few shows where an Indian plays an Indian.. Elsewhere most Indians end up playing middle-Eastern roles (Lost and 24), and in the bargain, the accent makes it an awkward watch.
@ Heather
“I have to disagree with you: referencing the KKK in relation to this film is taking it a bit too far. Most Americans do not have some racist caricature of the Middle East or Muslims, which makes SATC2 all the more appalling. ”
I think my point may not have come across clearly. I was not referencing KKK in relation to this film. My point was more that this film seemed to be catering to a particular taste and in a more extreme sense there was precedence for this. Stereotyping is not a new phenomenon in Hollywood and there is an audience for this sort of output within America (and abroad for that matter). Although of course many Americans will also find such stereotyping distasteful.
Really, really well-written post, Kalsoom. I loved Sex and the City- I knew it was mindless fun, but it was never this offensive. I think one of the articles said that the women were looking at the woman wearing a niqab as she ate a chip as if she was an animal in a zoo. it was pretty shocking. x shayma
Serves you right for ‘liking’ SATC at any point in time.
*runs*
I actually just cracked up reading your comment!
[…] Kalsoom goes to watch Sex and the City 2 and comes away with the feeling that the film not only fails to engage the Arab/Muslim/Middle Eastern woman, but it also […]
I haven’t watched SATC2 yet, as it only releases in India on the 11th of June.. But I have read more bad reviews of SATC2 than most ‘bad’ films that have released lately, which is strange considering it was based on an extremely popular TV series..
However, your review has a very fresh and genuine perspective to it, which most other reviewers lacked, whose opinions seemed like they were lifted off sketchy information on wikipedia..
But you cant deny the fact that eating food with a full veil on looks ridiculous.
Seems like I’ve gotten to this post late in the game and from the numerous and thorough comments/exchanges it’s obvious this was a great post Kalsoom. My only addition to this string of comments is: How did no one in the hundreds of people who filmed this movie know the correct word for “yes” in Arabic? Whether you want to brush off stereotyping as typical and expected or lower your expectations of the depth of SATC to the point of acceptance, how is it acceptable to choose to set your movie in the “Middle East” and then not even bother to properly research the simplest phrase in the language of the people you claim to portray? That on its own is evidence of the lack of due care the producers, actors, and crew gave in their negligent portrayal of Arabs, Muslims, and women.
Kals:
Thanks for bringing this to everyone’s attention. I didn’t watch the first one, and I couldn’t care about the second (or third) one. I have watched the tv series with my then roommate’s sorority girlfriend but that’s as a far as I go.
So disclaimer done, let me say that this was an excellent review. Of course, people can disagree with what you say but stereotyping is such a thing that it’s present everywhere. Pakistanis portray Americans as the spawn of the Devil but if you were to hand them an American visa, they would go running off. So stereotypes are present everywhere. But then again, Hollywood being the portal through which the world views America needs to be more careful. SATC2 definitely feeds off that stereotyping and that is what the world does not need.
So thanks again for the review and I pray that us global nomads help to squash such stereotypes and help to make the world a more informed place.
Some reviews from the British press
“This could be the most stupid, the most racist, the most polluting and women-hating film of the year, with a variety of ugliness that no number of facial procedures could begin to address.”
Philip French in The Observer, alluding to the girls’ trip to the UAE in the film:
“Most reasonable people would probably prefer to be stoned to death in Riyadh rather than see this film a second time.”
🙂