Hala Al-Qahtani
The King Abdul Aziz National Dialogue Center organized a meeting last Wednesday to confront the stereotypes about Saudi women in the media by adopting a proactive approach. There were three pivotal sessions. I spoke on the image of Saudi women in both Western and local media.
A number of important proposals and recommendations were presented during the discussions on the need to handle women issues objectively through the media. Surprisingly, the meeting was unattended by official female media persons, even though it was open to all women.
One of the important points that were mooted for discussion was that Western perception of Saudi women would not change until the local media changes its perception about them. The local media often projects a shallow image of women denoting its social heritage.
The audio and visual media in the Kingdom has been giving a superficial picture of Saudi women by distorting their image. In dramas and films women are pictured in monotonous scenes without any meaning or artistic taste, giving them an appearance of monsters.
This goes totally against the reality of Saudi woman and her real picture in family and society. Most scene writers, film producers and directors make such baseless scenes as a profitable business package without thinking about its social impact. Such negative films and drama scenes reflect only the thinking and conviction of the producer.
As a result of this mentality most women scenes project them as broken, weak, spiritless, worried and lacking in self-confidence. They cry as if they have fallen in a sea of tears and depression. This picture, however, does not reflect Saudi women at all.
We used to hold campaigns against the Western media for exploiting woman’s body to market products. Now the local media practices the same business in a different but oriental way. In advertisements women pose wearing abayas (a loose black outer gown) and appear like foolish personalities. They make commercial displays in an unprofessional manner as if they are in a depressed mood afraid of everything surrounding their husbands. This negative portrayal of women is not only seen in films and dramas but also in some talk shows that are borrowed from the West. Some programs are based on the real tragedies of women without showing any sympathy toward them.
We have also noticed that in some TV forums, some guests raise issues such as women’s work, education and health and speak about past things to paint a bad picture of women in the country. There are some other TV programs where men are given full freedom to talk about sensitive women issues and her physical and mental capabilities. Here invariable wrong and poor selection of experts proves the main culprit. Some anchors and producers opt for individuals who create controversy on women issues to attract more viewers.
The local media should rise up to the occasion and take into consideration that remarkable achievements and progress have been achieved by women in various fields, especially during the last 10 years. Before producing any film or program on women issues they need to consult female media experts.
This will help highlight the reality of Saudi women and the progress they have achieved.
Women have great ambitions as mothers, teachers, scientists, doctors, inventors, consultants, engineers, parliamentarians, ambassadors, writers, cartoonists, photographers and holding other important positions. It is the duty of media to project a beautiful picture with fairness, shedding light on her internal strength and her growing participation in the state and political arenas.
The active participation and fruitful interaction of experts and audience during the dialogue amazed me. Many of them raised good questions, giving optimism about a bright future. As partners of development we pledged to work together to enhance women’s image in the local media on the basis of a charter. Once this transformation is achieved on the local front, a similar positive change can be expected in Western media’s coverage of Saudi woman, highlighting her progress and achievements with respect.
