Reinvention Of The Orient Women

Free Essay Submitted by blaine on 04/17/2008 06:05 PM

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Reinvention Of The Orient Women

The reinvention of the new “Orient Woman”

According to Said, “Oritentalism”, the colonial stereotype is a complex

and contradictory process. It arises due to the fear of miscegenation, yet the “other” is

prefigured as being simultaneously an object of fear and desire. The “other”, on one

hand, a subject of suppressed, disgust and discrimination, the other, it is a dream, fantasy,

obsessions and desire. Therefore, it is fair to infer that the Orient is not a property of

bodies or something originally existent in human beings; rather it is the social construct.

Specifically, it is the product of the society’s dominant class – the Whites, the master-

narrative. Racial differences have been used as a basis for racial stereotypes, for instance

the White “norm” versus Non-white people. It is clear that racial identity is marked on

skin. It is undeniable that some stereotypes do/might have a basis of truth, however such

stereotypes do not take into the account of differences among the Orient. It is out of fear

and apprehensiveness that lead to the birth of such unjust stereotypes, the film “Memoirs

of a Geisha” directed by Rob Marshall highlights the irony of the stereotypes resulting in

fragmentations of identity.

“Memoirs of a Geisha” (Marshall, 2005) offers an interesting twist to our

typical story-telling, the women are no longer silenced, and the story is told through the

voice of a woman (though written by a male writer). It highlights the death of the master-

narrative, as it highlights the differences among the “other” women, the presence of

“Geisha” debukes the stereotype of women as “Angel of Home” perception (diversion...

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