Bibliophilia - Essays and Creative non-fiction

By bintarab
Published: December 1, 2008
Updated: March 2, 2010

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Part I: I do NOT have a uni-brow. Or hairy arms.
(350 words, minus the title which I chose for lack of better inspiration)

Arwa wanted to remove all the hair from my arms and leave them bare like hers or like those of every other girl living in the dorm. I still don't understand why it was so important to her.

"No," I told her, "I'm rather attached to my hair."

She didn't laugh. Maybe it sounds funnier in English, or maybe she didn't think this was a laughing matter. Even after a year of living in Jordan, I couldn't figure out how to tell a joke or be sarcastic in Arabic; when I tried, no matter how I exaggerated my tone, people took me literally or assumed that I'd misspoken. Dante never imagined such a torturous hell: for a New Yorker, to be deprived of sarcasm is like having one's tongue shredded.

Arwa insisted so much that I eventually gave up trying to be witty about it.

"No," I told her flatly.

She tried a different tack. "Let me pluck your eyebrows."

"No."

Arwa had Greta Garbo eyebrows: impossibly long and rounded, she tweezed them into a thin line that accentuated their expressiveness. The right one moved independently of the left, so she could frown in confusion on one side while the other arched high with surprise. There was no way I could pull off that look.

Besides, I do NOT have a uni-brow. Or hairy arms.

One day Arwa came back to our dorm room after having spent the weekend with her family, and she proudly removed her headscarf to show me the transformation underneath. I gaped. Why would a woman who covers her hair in public have blond highlights put in? Who was she trying to impress? Her arms also confounded me: she always wore long sleeves, so who would ever notice whether they were bare or not?

But Arwa was happy with her new look. She felt beautiful, and it didn't matter that no man other than her brothers or uncles would ever see it; she wasn't doing it for the 'male gaze.' She'd done it for herself.

Made me wonder which of us was the truly liberated one.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9: part one of two

9: part two of two

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

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2279 Views - View Comments (17)

	bintarab - March 29, 2009 Harry, I had to wiki "narwal" because I'd never heard of them before. But yes, it's impossible to change long-held beliefs/conceptions in just a casual conversation, plus I had no authority whatsoever -- why should they believe me? It would have been frustrating to me if not for the fact that my room-mate Arwa was okay with me putting plants all over our bedroom. In fact, I gave them all to her when I left!
	HarryB - March 29, 2009 Part X: Green And you made no progress with the photosynthesis lecture! Pity. Perhaps Eskimos feel the same way ... along with narwhals and polar bears. A delightful little vignette ... with an embedded lesson.
	willie - March 26, 2009 I should have said 'often' demonised and misrepresented... rather than such. You get my drift I'm sure.
	willie - March 26, 2009 I didn't realise you had added some, bint. As far as my opinions go, I'd say you should relax on the word count (when you feel you need more / less) and don't feel you need to explain specific 'lingo' --let the reader find out for themselves what, for example, a jilbab is. Or describe within the context of the story. Mostly keep writing them down, this is a great collection of memories. There must be a book in these. The personal detail is fascinating in itself, some fiction could tie it all together. There's surely no better time / more need for personal accounts and stories putting a human face to such demonised and misrepresented, yet (in the global scheme of things) ordinary people. On the reality of part two of two. Tell ( convince) yourself it doesn't matter maybe, but make damn sure everyone involved knows it has happened and let all be accountable for their own actions and conscience. That way it should be clear, or at least sets the standard that, the victim is guilt free. A great read, I look forward to more.
	HarryB - March 24, 2009 part two of two Reaction is all. Learning to control reaction is everything. Just tell yourself it didn't happen ... do not react and it hasn't happened. Even the man who did it will not believe it happened. The man who pulls the pin on the grenade in his pocket waits very calmly for it not to happen.
	bintarab - March 23, 2009 Oh! I don't have more on the thieves' market itself in the second part -- that part is about what happened later, after Fatima and I got home. Hmmm... now you've got me thinking... Thanks for the encouragement, Harry! ~bint
	HarryB - March 23, 2009 Part IX: Thieves' market I suppose it's a compliment when the grabber comes back for seconds. The market deserves some detailed description, which I suppose will come in the second part ... your 350 word limit doesn't help you here bint. Don't get me wrong, what you have here is good, but worthy of being longer.
	HarryB - March 10, 2009 Part VIII: I chose to wear this Apparently jilbabs are worn for reasons other than modesty. Poke bonnets covered dirty hair in past days ... likewise hoopskirts concealed down-at-the-heels shoes and ragged petticoats.
	bintarab - February 14, 2009 Oh so true, Harry! The first one was the easiest to write because it was such a revelation, but the last one was the hardest to write. I'm still plugging away, though -- I've lots of memories that might work in this flash format, we'll see. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more. ~bint
	HarryB - February 14, 2009 No. 1 There's something uplifting in Arwa's philosophy, I can't help feeling that appreciation of one's own physical beauty is every bit as important as someone else's. Nicely done, bint. 350 words beautifully spun. No. 2 Not as illuminating as No.1. The most fascination sentence to me is "I paused on the threshold with the sound of girls hanging out in the TV lounge down the hall coming from behind me." It's as natural as breathing. It comes out of the blue and is remembered long after the soot on the ceiling. No.3 I get the business with the shoes, but what gave Azhar the impression that she, as an Iraqi) would be allowed to win a TV show in Jordan? I think the unsung hero of the incident is the dorm supervisor.
	AndreaUKA - December 12, 2008 A great little tale asking a very interesting question, and one I have asked myself many times. I'm with Sunk on this - a bit of fur keeps you warmer in winter (and who sees yer legs anyway under all those layers?) Nice, enjoyed it and a great length for reading onscreen (tired eyes)
	HarryB - December 2, 2008 I must say it's been so long since I've seen a beaver I've forgotten whether they have four legs or two.
	sunken - December 2, 2008 I feel that I must stick up for the ladies of Britain. I don't know of any who let their body hair go un-waxed or unshaven. Someone has obviously been spreading malicious rumours, Ms. Bint. I trim my dangly bits now and again... Not in the winter tho. I see it has insulation (-; I hope this has helped. Thank you. s u n k e n prior to the internet he used tin cans
	bintarab - December 2, 2008 Yes, dear sunks, we call them beavers too! But over here people joke a lot about how women over there don't shave armpits or legs -- is that true? And I don't blame you for preferring the trim look; I wish more guys would tidy up that way too! ~bint
	bintarab - December 2, 2008 Many thanks, Harry, though the credit should go to Arwa for having taught me a lesson. We women are not the women we think we are either. It's that all important question that I often forget to ask myself: who am I doing this for? ~bint
	sunken - December 2, 2008 Good for her! That's what I say, Ms. Bint. I must admit tho, I am glad that the majority of girls shave their armpits and legs. It's just not very attractive is it? I don't mind a hairy beaver, but I'd prefer a trimmed one. Do you call them beavers over there? If you don't know what I'm on about ask Val of Veemem fame. Enjoyed the read. Sorry about the comment. s u n k e n shedding new light on ignorance
	HarryB - December 2, 2008 A thinking woman's story, and if men get the point, it may make them think too. We men are not the men we think we are. Very pointed tale bint. Congratulations!

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