'The TV shows getting Muslim women representations right - and wrong'
When it comes to representations of Muslim women on TV, well, there isn’t much. We are largely left off your screens and if we are portrayed, it’s usually a cringe-worthy and inaccurate stereotype that forgets that we are real people, not just oppressed housewives or creepy, Orientalist fantasies.
A study in 2021 found that just 1.1 per cent of characters in popular TV shows were Muslims, despite us being literally one quarter of the world’s population, and less than a third of those characters were women, showing how often we’re ignored in the media.
But, there are some portrayals of us that are done pretty well – and some not so well – so I’ve ranked recent representations of Muslim women on TV.
Skam
This Norwegian drama follows the highs and lows of the lives of high school students in Oslo – so, think Skins, but Scandinavian. The main character of the fourth season is Sana Bakkoush, a Muslim girl whose dark lipstick and outfits, quick wit and strong-minded attitude made her a fan favourite. She’s real about her struggles while also being unapologetically herself and not compromising her beliefs for anyone.
Ms Marvel
Ms Marvel follows Kamala Khan – a Pakistani-American, Muslim high-school student and superhero fanatic who suddenly finds herself managing her own newly-found superpowers. The Disney+ series is a fun, light-hearted and refreshing representation of being a Pakistani, Muslim girl with tonnes of action, comedy and superheroes thrown in. Worth the watch!
We Are Lady Parts
This award-winning comedy series is centred around a Muslim female punk-rock band. Yes, really! It’s so funny with characters that laugh in the face of stereotypes through their outfits, varied interests, sassy attitudes and more – and they’re super fashionable, too. From awkward moments with crushes to relatable friendship drama, We Are Lady Parts is a show for everyone to see themselves in.
The Bold Type
The Bold Type follows three 20-something friends who all work as a fictional glossy magazine in New York City, and recurring character Adena El-Amin is nothing short of an icon. She’s a photographer, artist, feminist plus she also identifies as queer, with the fictional character’s Twitter bio reading “proud Muslim lesbian.” She doesn’t let the opinions of others influence her and is open about her struggles with immigrations, xenophobia, homophobia and more.
Elite
Nadia Shanaa is one of the main characters of Spanish-language Netflix series, Elite. She’s a super smart scholarship student who, sadly, often friends herself torn between her faith and family and her friends. She is vocal about her choice to wear the hijab and against discrimination, and we see her make the difficult decision of removing it at school to avoid expulsion. But, she is also portrayed as stereotypically oppressed at times and is often only deemed as attractive or likeable when she takes her hijab off, sigh.
Hala
This Apple TV+ film follows the story of a Pakistani-Amercian teenager, Hala, as she struggles to balance her family, culture, religion, crushes, relationships and tonnes more. But, I found the film is pretty underwhelming as it misses any chance to combat stereotypes of Muslim women, and instead, feeds into them with Hala being portrayed as stereotypically oppressed by her family and annoyed of her culture and faith. Bore me later!
Representations of Muslim women on TV can have a real life impact on how we're treated in society, and we deserve more than to be ignored, stereotyped or put into boxes of being oppressed or in need of saving by others, as we're so much more than that! It's about time for TV to realise it, too.
You Might Also Like
