I am Ermida Koduah, a young woman from New York City. This spring I studied in the American University in Dubai. Taking the Women & Gender in the Middle East course this semester has helped me view the Middle East in a more positive way. I see the similarities between here and my own culture, […]
Category Archives: Violence against Women
Women and Ambition: Don't you Dare Reach for the Stars
Growing up I remember watching a very popular Egyptian play by the name of Madraset el Moshaghbeen. The play tells a story about a classroom of boys who have been labeled misfits due to their low academic level and behavioral issues. Most teachers who attempt to teach this class of students quit after a few […]
Attache-moi?
On en a trop parlé de ce sujet qui nous turlupine à un point tel de nous donner un vertige tenace. La femme libanaise, ses joues refaites, ses rondeurs surfaites, son 4×4 avançant contre vents et marées (de pauvres bagnoles qui pétaradent sur l’autoroute) avec l’envie cuisante d’arriver à point à ce rendez-vous de beauté… […]
Fifty Shades of Black and Blue: Romanticising Abuse
On-screen, Angelina Jolie-as-Maleficent screams in surround-sound, her anguish visible in HD. A little girl sits cross-legged before the screen, her glassy eyes wide and reflecting the scene playing out on the television. Only six years old, she turns around and asks this reporter why Maleficent the fairy is screaming, and why the “bad man took […]
Cages
As I walked down the hallway of the department of religion and sociology, my attention was caught by the writing on the wall. Words surrounding a caged bird. As I came closer, nothing made sense, except for a few scattered. So I stepped back and read what became an invitation to awaken oneself to the […]
Rape Culture in the UAE
Rates of sexual harassment continue to rise in the Middle East, feasibly linked to culture-enforced lack of sex education, experts say. In an interview with Joan Abdalla, a Counselor and Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the American University in Dubai, she has revealed that the absence of awareness could be a contributing factor to how […]
Hidden Hurt No More! "Amal": a story of domestic violence and marital rape in Lebanon
‘Amal’ is the story of a young pregnant woman holding the same name, who wants to escape from the violent grips of her abusive insanely possessive husband, but it turns out that her freedom carries a very high price. The term Amal also has a connotation of hope in Arabic, and this is the main […]
Imane ou la Parole libératrice
Imane saigne. Vingt ans auparavant, mes parents avaient choisi l’homme qui allait être l’amour de ma vie. Il avait l’âge de mon père. C’est tout ce que je savais. On m’avait dit à l’époque que son âme renfermait les plus belles vertus du monde. Cette vérité-là, je l’avais crue, comme ma religion. Depuis, je n’allais […]
My story with incest. A story of ultimate revenge…
Dear Red Lips High Heels’ readers, I have a story to tell, as I am sure others will recognize themselves in its content. I am not writing just to express myself. I am writing because of others… Other men and women who were abused in their childhood, neglected, maltreated, physically, sexually, emotionally… I am writing […]
Ma petite histoire – aux lectrices et lecteurs de Red Lips High Heels
Je suis une survivante de guerre et voilà mon histoire. Pardonnez-moi de ne pouvoir divulguer mon nom pour le moment. Peut-être qu’un jour… La guerre, pour moi, advient à l’externe, vu que je suis libanaise et que je vis dans un environnement de violence généralisée, et interne, au sein de mon foyer. J’ai grandi dans […]