Love this story about the Burka Avenger, a Pakistani cartoon series featuring a woman who is a school teacher by day and dons the Burka by night to fight the “bad guys” who try and shut down gir
ls’ schools.
Gender Watch
“When you know better you do better.” ― Maya Angelou
I think this is really cool and something that has not really been done before. As a child you always see the superhero being the normal person during the day and then putting on a mask to transform into something spectacular at night and fighting those with guns or that are robbing, but this new twist is tackling a subject and a problem that is much more realistic and I think that it will provide light on something that has not been covered by many countries.
I think this is so cool! I like the idea of having more women superheroes, especially ones who are teachers by day. It’s interesting that Jiya doesn’t wear her burqa during the day. To me this represents her defiance against the Pakistani laws that limit her freedom. But, she does wear the burqa at night to fight those who threaten her goal of equal education. It’s interesting because she is using the burqa as both a symbol of defiance and a tool. I think that Jiya is reappropriating the meaning of the burqa by using it to her advantage. Jiya represents a compromise between the two different perspectives that the burqa is either restrictive to women or helpful. She doesn’t denounce the value of the burqa (which is a positive thing for children who are muslim and religious) but she upholds the idea of freedom by refusing to wear a burqa during the day (people who want to change the status quo of having to wear a burqa). Her costume changes represent a good compromise and is a great role model for children.
If you want to watch some of the episodes, here is a link to the first one on youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XahbqLdCVhE
To reappropriate something is to take a word or symbol and change the meaning by redefining its value. ( for more explanation, here is a great link http://grammarist.com/words/reappropriate/)