My Body Is My Own Business

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My Body Is My Own Business

Naheed Mustafa, in her article My Body Is My Own Business, published by The Globe & Mail on 29 June 1993, argues that the hijab – a special garment worn by some Muslim women – protects her from discrimination by appearance. However, she ends up facing another type of social discrimination in that she receives many strange looks from people stereotyping her as either a potential terrorist or a victimized Muslim woman. She accurately underpins the humiliating standards of female beauty in Canadian society and makes a valid point that she should be the master of her own body. However, her argument is rather far-fetched because it has several logical flaws and lacks references to credible sources.

About the Hijab Stereotypes

Canada's national Mustafa starts by telling about other Canadians who often treat her as a stranger and irk her with questions in slow and articulate English as if she never spoke it. This is a fact. Then, she proceeds to say that, when she wears the hijab, people perceive her "as a radical, fundamentalist Muslim terrorist packing an AK-47 assault rifle inside [her] jean jacket…Or maybe they see [her] as the poster girl for oppressed womanhood everywhere". Although these statements sound genuine and vivid, they lack objectivity because she cannot tell what people think just by looking at her. Growing up in this country, she might have faced the stereotypes she is talking about, yet she cannot know what every stranger thinks of her.

The author's claim that the person wearing the hijab has ultimate control of her own body sounds intriguing. Indeed, it would be hard for a by-standing observer to judge her by the existing male requirements for beauty. Mustafa tries to link her wearing the hijab to the long-standing Islamic tradition, saying that the covering gives her liberation from inescapable attention to her personality. Thus, she does not need to be afraid of exposing her body and facing ridicule because of her stretch marks or disorderly hairstyle. However, the opposite seems to be happening in real life. She gets that "gamut of strange looks, stares, and covert glances" only because people notice her presence and naturally attempt to make out some personality inside that impenetrable veil. Paradoxically, she faces even more judgment, shifting from her physical self to the cultural features of her personality.

Critique Analysis of Women's Beauty Argument by Naheed Mustafa

Mustafa refers to the almost omnipresent male standards for women's beauty in several places in the text. She thinks that the male-dictated models of appearance strip her of personal freedom unless she covers her body. She regards other women as slaves to the patriarchal system of values. Yet, in her strand of criticism towards men and their domination, she forgets to mention that men also confront similar pressures. For example, there are also standards of beauty for men flowing from TV screens and glossy magazines, the standards that make many men go to the gym and expose their beautiful bodies to get women's attention. These gender archetypes are something nearly every man and woman has to go through in their lives, not only Mustafa.

The other noteworthy point about her article is that she did not refer to any documented facts that would prove her points. For instance, she says she is not the only one "reclaiming the hijab"; however, she does not cite any numbers or expert opinions substantiating this statement. Her illustrative discourse surely invokes empathy in most readers; however, she fails to win the critical reader's confidence by making overly general statements about what men and women in Canada think of beauty and her personality. Although the author's emotional appeals are persuasive, she has not been known for any other works on the cross-cultural issues of Muslims in Canada. Therefore, her ideas, albeit wise, should be taken with a grain of criticism.

My Body Is My Own Business Analysis

In summarizing this critique, Naheed Mustafa, with her example, attempts to shake the hijab stereotypes as she sees them in Canada. As persuasive as it is, her argument is flawed in several aspects. For example, she tries to second-guess people around her and their stereotypical perceptions of herself wearing the hijab. She stands up for ultimate control over her own body but confronts even fiercer discrimination against her, disguised in the hijab personality. While making a strong point about the standards of beauty that many contemporary women have to fit in, she omits the fact that many men also must follow very similar standards to be considered attractive to the opposite sex. Mustafa uses a lot of personal opinions and employs many ethical appeals to make her message persuasive to the audience, yet he claims it would be stronger if she provided some documented evidence supporting her argument.