Isabel Krull

Oppressed or Blessed?
Imagine the advertisement of Cindy Crawford ten years ago, leaned against a new Jaguar. Shes
wearing a short red dress, and her blonde hair is flowing behind her. Now imagine a Muslim
woman in her place, wearing a hijab over her head and a jilbab covering her body. Which
advertisement would inspire you to purchase the car? Most likely Cindy Crawfords came to
mind first. This reaction is caused by globalization, and is an example of female oppression.
These reactions have been created by globalization, which is the process of communication and
integration throughout the world between citizens, companies, and governments.
Globalization is directly linked to the cause of oppression. Oppression is the unjust use of
authority, law, mental or physical force to prevent others from being free or equal. Globally,
women battle oppression every day in the form of sexual exploitation, unfair working conditions,
and being restricted from everyday activities. For example, women are paid less than men in the
workforce, solely because of their gender: In 2013, female full-time workers made only 78
cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 22 percent. (Pay Equity and and
Discrimination) Globalization, particularly the technology aspect, is used to liberate women.
However, it is also used to do the opposite, degrading women more than ever before.
Technology is a major component to globalization, which spreads information to regions around
the globe. Through media, women are exposed to female role models, such as Oprah, Michelle
Obama, and Misty Copeland who advocate the rights and equality of women. Girls around the
world can see women as influential, strong citizens: Globalization positively affects gender
equality by opening up more role models for girls to look up to. There are more women that are
presenting themselves as powerful and impactful citizens that can be seen worldwide through
media. (Abusulayman)
While women are able to see positive role models through media, technology also sexually
exploits women through television commercials. In a conference at Yale University, media
personality Muna Abusulayman stated, Women in America are used to sell things in
advertisements that are broadcasted all over the world. While technology has a positive impact
towards female liberation, it also contributes to the degradation of women. Women are still
looked at as sexual objects, used to sell products rather than being seen as wholesome, realistic
individuals. Companies such as Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, and even Subway use women as sex
appeal to sell their products. The message portrayed in these commercials is that the product
being sold is what creates a womans lust for the man.
America is a dominant culture, and the majority of youth culture follows American pop culture.
American customs and trends are seen globally, including fashion trends, some of which are nonconservative. Many trends sport deeper necklines and shorter hemlines. While these trends are
acceptable in America, in other regions, such as Islam, this particular style is not permitted. With
broadcast commercials and social media sites, American fashion has spread to all cultures. With
these trends being broadcasted, minority cultures feel inferior, because they dont feel like they
are accepted into the way fashion has developed: America is spreading, and due to America

having the dominant culture, the way American girls dress puts pressure onto Islam girls into
thinking that they are not acceptable. (Abusulayman) Thanks to globalization, Islamic women
not only face inequality to men in their culture, but also to other women.
Female oppression is not a theory, or a conspiracy, it is a reality. In the novel, Half the Sky,
Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof states, There are one hundred million fewer women on
the planet than there should be. Reasons for this includes gender selective abortions, and a lack
of health care options due to gender. Women choose to abort their female child because they are
unaware of their self worth, and they lack the education to raise a female in todays society.
Women in various cultures are not permitted internet access, which then leads to not having
access to positive role models and female empowerment websites.
Girls are not only discriminated against in utero, but through their entire lives, as well: Girls in
India from one to five years of age are fifty percent more likely to die than boys the same age. A
little Indian girl dies from discrimination every four minutes. (WuDunn and Kristof) Women
face early mortality due to the lack of health care options, and the depravity of prenatal care.
Female children are more prone to early death due to the lack of medical care such as
vaccinations to treat common diseases, such as malaria. American women, for example have
infinite resources for prenatal care websites, providing them with the information to protect their
fetus during pregnancy. African women, however, do not have these options. Premature,
adolescent bodies are used to bear children, without even the knowledge on how to keep both
heartbeats safe. If all women were provided with equal resources, young girls would have a fair
chance of survival.
Globalization does not only have a negative effect on female oppression, and there are educated,
powerful women in the world. However, in order to end female oppression, all women must have
the knowledge of who they can be. With awareness, the world and its societies can detect what
evils lie beneath the word oppression. In turn, stereotypes about women will dissipate. The
more educated women there are, the less offensive ads will be broadcasted, and less women will
be forced into premature pregnancies. If women are educated of how they are living, they will be
able to start fighting for their rights.

Works Cited
Abu Sulayman, Muna. "Islam, Globalization and Gender." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 05 Feb.
2015.
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMfWe2N_zDw
WuDunn, Sheryl. "Global Oppression of Women - Sheryl WuDunn - TED Talks." YouTube.
YouTube, n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvdUgLEoNEk
Agha, Zena. "How Islam Made Me a Feminist | Zena Agha | TEDxWarwickSalon (Women)."
YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jWSDyJiIXg
Parekh, Serena. "Feminist Perspectives on Globalization." Stanford University. Stanford
University, 06 May 2014. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
URL: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-globalization/