Music has been embedded within society as a way for individuals to express themselves. However, the discourse around media in the Western world often reflects several other cultural influences. Middle Eastern culture, in particular, has been used as a dress-up tool in several Western media forms which reveal Orientalist tropes (Yegenoglu, 2009). For example, we witness the hyper-sexualization of the veiled body and the exoticization of Middle Eastern women in Cardi B’s Bodak Yellow music video (Yegenoglu, 2009). The music video, shot in Dubai, opens with Cardi B wearing an abaya, a headscarf, and a veil. I argue that while these pictures may appear harmless to the Western eye, further analysis reveals how Western media exoticizes Middle Eastern culture and the specific ways these representations impact women.
The imagery of Cardi B within the video highlights the orientalist imagery of regarding the Middle Eastern women. While some have praised Cardi B for representing Middle Eastern culture in her music, they have failed to understand the Orientalist tropes at play. As discussed by Meyda Yengenoglu (2009), the headscarf and the veil have been exoticized by the Western world since the beginning of Western colonialism in the Middle East and North Africa. With the artist wearing the veil while seductively looking into the camera and the improper wrapping of the headscarf like a bandana, it is clear that Cardi B is wearing this "Middle Eastern clothing" as a prop to the Western perception she is playing into (Yegenoglu, 2009). Even the way she positions herself while sitting on the camel reflects the hyper-sexualization of Middle Eastern women in traditionally religious clothing. While some might argue that this is an artistic choice, it is clear that many representations in Western media such as this one lack awareness of the implications of the exoticization of Middle Eastern women for centuries (Said, 2003). It is important to identify the ways the West has objectified and sexualized veiled women for a long time. As Said (2003) discusses in his work, we cannot understand the prejudicial complexities of the Western gaze without truly understanding the colonial lens of Orientalism. Cardi B is seen in several other revealing clothing throughout the video. Still, it is only when she is seen in "Middle Eastern" clothing that there is a forced emphasis on seduction and mystery often seen in Western representations of the East (Yegenoglu, 2009). There is a continued misuse and misrepresentation of women in particular within Cardi B’s music video that falls directly into Orientalist tropes and sexualizes Middle Eastern women for the Western gaze (Said, 2003).
I argue that the Orientalist tropes and sexualization of Middle Eastern women by exoticization within Western media reveals the urgent need to reject the Western gaze and acknowledge the complexities of gender and sexuality in the Middle East. As Edward Said (2003) explained, the West positions the ‘Orient’ to define the differences between European ‘norms’ and the contrasting images of the Middle East. Cardi B and artists alike use representations of the Middle Eastern culture as accessories to their work. Cardi B, when she choses to appropriate the veil and Middle Eastern culture to represent a Western fantasy falls into the West’s oriental understandings of the Middle Eastern women. The West fails to see Middle Eastern women outside of their ‘victimhood’, and exotic features (Yegenoglu, 2009). Appropriation and orientalism have been built into the music industry. Othering the Middle East reveals the systematic discourse inflicted through European culture to further the idea of the ‘Orient’ (Said, 2003).
It is crucial to understand that the implications of cultural productions such as Cardi B’s music video must be analyzed beyond Orientalism. While Orientalism continues to be a foundation for the exoticization of Middle Eastern women, Western cultural production has been successful because they continue to profit off their flawed narratives (Said, 2003). The success and profit of the West’s entertainment industry in exoticizing Middle Eastern women has shown that these perceptions work for the gazing eye (Yegenoglu, 2009). It can be argued that these tropes sell beyond Western societies. Individuals in and outside of the West believe these narratives despite the continued rejection from the Middle East. This success by the West informs society of their dominant powers and ability to describe the ‘Orient,’ as Said (2003) explains. The West’s ability to permeate their flawed perceptions beyond Western society has allowed the success of entertainment industries, further implicating the exoticization of Middle Eastern women.
In identifying and rejecting Orientalism, we can contribute meaningfully to the ongoing dialogue of women in the Middle East by creating a deeper understanding of the complexities of feminist movements (Zaatari, 2022). Challenging stereotypes and encouraging anti-colonial representations of the Middle East and its people is crucial. Evidently, as seen in Zeina Zaatari’s (2022) work, feminist movements push back against the West's prejudicial view and reject the exoticization of Middle Eastern women. Zaatari (2022) identifies women’s continued fight for liberation and equal access internally throughout Middle Eastern countries and externally against dominant Western representations. Through feminist protests and civic disputes, Middle Eastern women are constantly battling to imprint themselves in spaces where they have been traditionally denied (Zaatari, 2022). It is the maintenance of colonial lens that the West continues these Orientalist images of Middle Eastern women despite their continued resistance, activism and feminism, which directly reject these narratives. Feminist movements across the region continue to empower Middle Eastern women who are neither ‘exotic beings’ or ‘oppressed victims’ (Zaatari, 2022).
As expressed by Said (2003), the West holds power in their perceptions and understanding of the ‘Orient’. While music may be a passive means of representation, the Western gaze is flawed and must understand the subjectivity in their use of women as props or objects for their stories (Yegenoglu, 2009). Feminist movements have proven to us that Middle Eastern women are so much more than what the West continues to portray them to be. It is through calling out Western media that we can work against the mockery and exoticization of Middle Eastern women and provide feminist movements with a spotlight for their continued work to reject these dominant Western orientalist narratives (Zaatari, 2022). The Western media’s history of exoticization of Middle Eastern culture and women further misrepresents their true identities and overshadows the various powerful feminist movements throughout the region.
About the image: The piece was created by me using Canva. I used the headlines from public news outlets identifying the orientalist tropes within Cardi B’s Bodak Yellow music video. Since the internet is our modern-day newspaper, I used the concept of cutting out newspaper headlines to create this art piece. I also compiled several tweets from X (previously known as Twitter), which is a public opinion platform to help supplement the artwork. To complete the image, I included the headline ‘Aren’t Middle Eastern Women More Than Your Western Fantasies?’ and ‘The Problem of Orientalism & Exotification in Western Media’. These titles capture the purpose of my discussion post and the central issue covered. The goal is to identify how the media reacts to blatant forms of Orientalism and the continued exoticization of Middle Eastern culture in Western Media.
Works Cited
AJ+. (2017). Why Arabs And Muslims Aren't Exotic | AJ+. Youtube.
Cardi B. (2017). Bodak Yellow.
Said, E. W. (2003). Introduction in Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient. 1-28.
Yegenoglu, M. (2009). Veiled fantasies: cultural and sexual difference in the discourse of Orientalism. Cambridge University Press, 39-67.
Zaatari, Z. (2022). From Feminist Consiousness to Intersectional Feminism and Everything In Between. Women's Movements In The Middle East, 222-244.
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