Layers In Media: A Perspective A'isha Saleh

Ramadan Mubarak lovelies! Some reflections as we're coming to the end of another Ramadan. Hope y'all enjoy.

This episode delves into the complexities of wearing hijab and the various experiences that come with being visibly Muslim in a modern day Western society. I have only ever seen the mainstream media use the hijab as a prop to build this illusion of inclusivity, but no one has ever truly looked into the emotional experience that defines wearing hijab from a female Muslim perspective in a way that resonates with me or any other hijabi that I know. This episode is really just trying to fix that in some small way.

I have been talking about the Layers to be found in media and dissecting their meaning and importance. In this episode I begin to look at the layers and representation that is NOT found in media, where representation is lacking, and what representation we need to start seeing for the Muslim community. I hope you enjoy the listen!

To be fair, this episode does not discuss the entirety of Ramy as a show. I chose two important moments that meant a lot to me as a Muslim American viewer, and dissected the importance of them in the grand scheme of Muslim representation in American television.

I hope you enjoy!

Welcome, welcome, to another episode on Layers in Media: A Perspective. A lovely friend reminded me of the film The Big Sick and brought me back to several conversations I had when it first came out about the films portrayal of Muslim women and immigrant parents. I felt like revisiting those conversations in order to help others recognize just how problematic the film was, and how ignored and belittled Muslim women of color felt when watching the summer hit. I hope y'all enjoy the holidays and have a Happy New Year. Hopefully 2021 will be a little less traumatic than 2020.

During this episode I explore the refugee element of the film Captain Marvel and why it was the element that struck me personally as the most profound, as I found it to present a timely message about recognizing another's humanity, no matter how different.