Who and What were the Arabian Nights Written for?  How does this contribute to the hyper-sexualization of  Arabic women?

By: Emily Gonzalez

The Arabian Nights have perpetuated the hyper sexualization of Arab women for centuries. Could the reason for the mass hyper sexualization of Arabic women be a result of who these tales were told by and made for? Let’s think about it in historical context. Patriarchy had been ingrained in society since then, and so with the establishment of the patriarchy came the constraints on women. During the creation and translation of The Arabian Nights, men had the liberty and right to learn how to read and write. Whereas women were not allowed this right, Due to the patriarchal aspect of the world, these stories weren’t catered to women; instead, they were catered to men.

The existence of these tales, in which women are depicted negatively and are overly sexualized, further showcases the patriarchal aspect of the writings. Hyper sexualization was introduced to the west due to Jean Antoine’s (French) translation of the Arabian Nights, which created a wave of “Orientalism.” Habitants of the west were filled with an obsession to learn about the Orient as a result of the French’s hyper-sexualized idea of the Orient. The sheer fact that men are the ones translating these texts highlights their patriarchal power. Since the Arabian Nights weren’t catered for women, there was constant defamation and hyper sexualization of women in these writings. The patriarchal power in the world created a barrier where women couldn’t write their own stories. This ultimately leaves the patriarchy to write and perpetuate negative stereotypes of Arabian women due to their hyper sexualization.

In the Arabian Nights, the female characters are constantly hypersexualized, with the exception of one character, Shahrazad. All the other female characters are written as lustful and deceitful. The female characters in this novel are written for the sole purpose of the men’s enjoyment and purpose. Could it be because these stories were written as bedtime stories and as a way to teach boys morals? In the tale, all the stories share one thing in common, which is that women are alluring and are something that can be thrown away or destroyed like a toy when they are no longer appealing to men. At the start of the tale, we are introduced to King Shahryar, who finds his wife cheating on him with a kitchen boy. Once he discovers his wife’s infidelity, he murders her and her lover. The king even throws their bodies away from the top of the palace, just like a kid who has lost desire for a toy.

Throughout the Arabian Nights, there is a constant sexualization of women. In the Arabian Nights, there is a tale about the Porter and the Three Ladies. In this tale, the porter is intrigued and allured by a beautiful woman, and she takes the porter to a mansion, where she has three sisters. The man is hypnotized and lustful over this beauty as he spends the day sexualizing women. In this tale, the women are written as lewd and ask the porter what their genitals were called. In addition to this, the women’s bodies are described with contractions of lust, and this is shown through the porter. In stark contrast, Shazarad isn’t overly sexualized in comparison. The tale states, “She knew poetry by heart, had studied historical reports, and was acquainted with the sayings of men and the maxims of sages and kings. She was intelligent, knowledgeable, wise, and refined. She had read and learned.” (pg.42,Haddaway) I believe that she is described in relation to her wits rather than her body, because her mind is what defeats the king rather than her body. The other female characters “defeated” the men with their bodies rather than their minds. 

Although Shahrazad is what we could call the beginning of a strong female character, she perpetuates the negative portrayal of Arabic women. Could it be because she has to read these stories that have to appeal to a patriarchal mindset to survive, creating negative connotations for women? Or could it be because she grew up in a patriarchal world where  her father told her stories of women with negative connotations? 

The hypersexualization of women can be attributed to the patriarchal idea that women are viewed as objects rather than their equals. These stories contribute to the idea that women are viewed as objects rather than their equals because the very storyline of the story is that a king, filled with rage, has decided to marry a woman, sleep with her, and then kill her every morning. The king essentially acts like a child when they are bored with a toy. This very act isn’t condemned by the story readers and translators due to the fact that men are the ones with power. 

As a result of the stories being written for men and told throughout time by men and for men, women are portrayed as hypersexualized due to the desire to appease the male mind. Due to this hyper-sexualization, women are essentially viewed as objects and not as humans. The ideology of a little child liking a toy can be paralleled to a man viewing and liking a woman as a toy. Since women are viewed as toys, the image allows hypersexualization to spring in this story of the Arabian Nights. 

In conclusion, these stories weren’t catered to women, which allowed the perpetuation of the ideal that women were hypersexual beings that could be thrown away or destroyed when no longer appealing to men. The hyper sexualization of women can be attributed to patriarchal power, which allowed this text to be rewritten in other languages, emphasizing the sexualization of women. And you may ask yourself why. This is because women were unable to read and write, which allowed men to continue to twist their stories and hypersexualize them. You may ask yourself why. The answer is because the patriarchy and its ideals have been embedded in society and put constraints on women.