Being a Woman in Morocco

10 Things Moroccans Do That Americans Also Do (Part 2):

1. Ask “where is the bread” immediately upon being seated at a restaurant.
2. Yell in fear when a child gets too close to traffic.
3. Complain they’ve gained weight and resolve to work out more.
4. Drink lots and lots of coffee (and mint tea!).
5. Get pulled into a store with a “sale” sign and spend too much money.
6. Express political discontent in public spaces.
7. Go to the movies when its raining outside (Moana <3).
8. Get bored during class and watch videos about Trump on Facebook.
9. Hit on the foreign exchange student because she’s ~exotic~ with blue eyes.
10. Brag about how great their country is and suggest places I just HAVE to visit.

Avenue Mohammed V – site of Arab Spring protests in 2011

It rained all weekend which required us to be creative about how to spend our time. We saw Moana (called “Vaiana” here), visited the Mohamed IV Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, got coffee with new foreign friends, and  took an Oriental Dance class. These (conveniently indoor) activities surprisingly all followed a common theme: perceptions of feminism/femininity in Morocco. Here’s how:

(+) Oriental Dance Class: Moroccan women are generally pretty conservative in both their dress and mannerisms in public places. Azari and I had no idea what to expect when we showed up to this Oriental Dance class at the gym (only for women). As soon as the doors closed, the women tore off their head scarves and put on their sexiest attire to spend an hour belly dancing. The room was buzzing with energy and the women continued gyrating their hips even in the silence between songs. I realized Moroccan women are no less sexual than an American woman in a crop top and booty shorts. The culture just has a different avenue for channeling personal expression than we are accustomed to in the United States.

(+) Mohamed IV Museum of Modern Art: The exhibit of the month at this museum happened to be “Femmes, Artistes Marocaines de la Modernité” (“Moroccan Women Artists of Modernity”). I’m not usually a huge fan of modern art but we walked around the museum in awe of the blatant references to women, sexuality, maternity, etc. that are all but ignored in daily Moroccan life. The fact that the exhibit title was “modernity” gave me hope that the society as a whole sees equal rights as the inevitable future. One exhibit was simply a trashcan that read “patriarchy” on the front. Overall it was a very powerful and progressive exhibition about what it means to be a woman.

(-) Being a Woman in Morocco: On a structural, societal level Moroccans are making strides towards equality. However, on an individual, daily level there is still a lot of obvious sexism and misogyny. Every time we leave the house we are harassed in the street. Men yell at us. Men on bikes follow us. Men in cars follow us. Men ask for kisses. Men touch our bodies. Men watch us from cafés as we pass. We’ve experienced boys as young as 10 engaging in this behavior.  It’s a tough reality to face. Women are often viewed as objects. However, the objectification of women is a cross-cultural, trans-national issue that I have experienced on every continent.I have learned to ignore harassment but I have never learned to accept it.

SO there it is. The good, the bad, the ugly. Three weeks into my 4 months of study abroad. Headed to a new city this weekend!! Stay tuned.

*Bonus Story*
Last weekend we were at the Kasbah trying to take a group picture. Apparently our selfie stick did not satisfy a random, Chinese, tourist passerby. With no mutual language between us, this man conducted a photoshoot on his professional grade Canon camera. Well, he emailed the pictures to Emma this week and we can all now appreciate the most spontaneous photoshoot of all time. Thank Zhai Ming!