Rasheed asked Mariam that she wear a burqa during her outings, that her beauty be for his eyes only. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Jody required that Janie cover her hair, which - long and atypical to their community - was admired by many. In both examples of society, a woman faced severe consequences should she attempt to deviate from the norm. Woman was valued as a mindless trophy, an executor of all tasks man scoffs at, and nothing more.
I don't think I need to point out the contrast of attire today. It is as though the recently acquired position in society, where her mind is valued more than her looks, is not enough for her. She feels the need to exploit herself, her body, dressing in clothes far more revealing. She seems to be able to validate herself by receiving messages in response to her "msg me if u think im hot" status on Facebook. It is times like this when I duck my head in shame of my fellow female. She has degraded herself in seeking acceptance for her appearance, for the only reason that Rasheed valued Laila. She has degraded women. Media (probably the face of other females of higher intelligence) is primarily to blame for this manipulation, leading a girl to believe that her sex appeal is her only purpose in life.
Thus, we have a new age of depreciation of women that I would like to refer to as: the rap music video.
