In recent months, there have been a plethora of stories emerging from Egypt, in which women’s clothing and bodies have been policed. Women have been arrested, barred and publicly condemned for either being too skimpily or too conservatively dressed – and contrary to popular assumptions, these attacks have largely not come from religious bodies, but rather from the so-called secular state and private businesses. Women’s Bodies and the Secular Egyptian State As recently as earlier this week, the Egyptian Syndicate of Musical Professions announced a ban on “revealing outfits” worn by singers on stage in the name of “recommitting to Egyptian values and tradition”, according to syndicate chief Ahmed Ramadan. Under the new regulation, performers who are members of the syndicate – or who have a permit – will be banned from performing in Egypt if they are seen on stage in “inappropriate” clothing. Typically, the legislation appears specifically to focus on women, with once again the burden of “Egyptian values” and national morality being unfairly borne exclusively by women’s bodies. The decision by the Syndicate follows a series of incidents in which women have been arrested and convicted for…
