I promised a second part to my earlier post, "On Vogue, Dazzling Fashion and Intriguing Writing." I promised to mention a fashion miss: "...The only miss I'll mention is actually a segue into the Intriguing Writing portion of this post...."
I was reading through the September issue of Vogue - sometimes the fashion photo spreads are quite beautiful, almost works of art photography. However, some are just, well, awful. Not only is the shot itself unattractive, so is the outfit the model is wearing. I find myself in these situations feeling a bit sorry for the model who has to wear these combinations. In this case, the wonderful article I'm going to highlight faces a fashion page that is just not a good choice by the editors. Sorry, but it isn't. The article speaks to the bravery, courage and fantastic humanity of women while the fashion photo shows a model slouching on a sofa wearing an outfit that I wouldn't have worn when I had legs and was 22. Those shoes, really?
Here's an aside: A few month's ago I wrote about another amazing article about amazing women, "The Art of Living-Living Real in Chernobyl" and again, the editors of that magazine chose to segue to the article with one about facelifts. Hmmm. I think editors need to pay a bit more attention, don't you?
This article, in this issue of Vogue, is written by internationally acclaimed journalist Janine di Giovanni. From her website: "...Born in the US, she began reporting by covering the first Palestinian intifada in the late 1980s and went on to report nearly every violent conflict since then. Her trademark has always been to write about the human cost of war, to attempt to give war a human face, and to work in conflict zones that the world's press has forgotten...." Her article is titled "Women at War: Marching to Freedom" and is about the women of Libya. In the article she says:
"...I have come to Libya to meet some of the women who have—to an exceptional degree among the recent uprisings in the Middle East—powered this revolution, which began here in Benghazi...."
I have an admission to make: I don't follow the news of war generally speaking. I truly hate war. I am truly saddened that human kind cannot find a non-violent way to solve its problems. I truly dispise the fact that my sweet grandson is growing up in a world that hasn't changed since man first walked the planet. Having said all that, I am drawn to stories whose seeds may have been born of war but transcend it.
I admire the courage of the journalist as well as the women of whom she writes. Her article was written at the end of June, so the story of the war in Libya is ongoing. It seems like such a complicated situation there and something of which I can't relate on any level except that of being a woman. I wonder if I would or could be able to do some of what di Giovanni writes of these women in Libya:
- "...On February 17’s “Day of Rage” and those that followed, women were the marchers on the streets,
- The symbolic instigator of the revolution was the mother of Fatih Turbel, a human-rights lawyer...She sat in front of the Benghazi courthouse until he was released, mobilizing crowds to join her stoic, defiant response.
- They are leading discussion groups and volunteering their time trying to share with others the concept of a democratic society,
- started impromptu workshops with an emphasis on empowering women...."
She writes of women who share what they know and go out of their way to build a life they want for themselves and their families. She writes of a "46-year old mother of five:"
"...One day I meet Mabruk Jibril, a 46-year-old mother of five who brings her teenage daughter, Jamila, and a group of her 'lady friends,' all eager to tell their own stories of political activism. Mabruk has been imprisoned four times, once with her five-month-old son. But she has no self-pity, only a burning desire now to be part of a new Libya. 'Not one person in this circle,' Mabruk says, pointing to each of the women, 'has escaped Qaddafi’s regime unscathed. Everyone has either lost a close family member or suffered somehow.'...."
I ask myself, would I go to prison because my government would not allow me to express myself as I chose in benefit of my family? Having never needed to be put to the test I truly don't know. I would like to think I would.
Writing and reporting such as is done by di Giovanni helps to bring voices into clarity and amplifies them on the world stage.
The photos used in the article are beautiful. They show the faces of strong, resiliant and beautiful women. It's my hope that the people of Libya will get to build the country they want and that the women of Libya will get to realize their dreams - for themselves and their families. I hope you'll follow the link and read di Giovanni's article in its entirety.
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