The patriarchy these characters face marks a convergence of traditional Middle Eastern beliefs with contemporary Western culture
This reminds me of the criticism we've spoken about in class regarding Western values held by Middle Eastern directors. The tendency to condemn filmmakers for this fact feels harsh in a sense because no one's belief system goes untouched by Western culture due to the violent history of imperialism and colonialism.
The imperial male gaze is at play because,to the women asking questions, beautyis characterized by foreign stereotypes of womenwho are skinny, blond, and have full lips
This is something I notice in all films and in everyday life, as well. Notions of good and bad, beauty and ugly, etc. are imposed upon the global world by western imperialist societies and continue to prevail in the media and society as a whole.
Seeing and being seen relates to how women are represented and how they view themselves.
This was especially noticeable to me throughout the film in the sense that each woman was concerned with perception of them held by society at large. Though the characters addressed this, I don't feel that the film criticizes the flaws in this logic or even negotiates it within the context of their own vanity.