Influencer or Demolisher



Chang'an, China

Think about it!! The Internet has become our home and shelter more than the real one. It has opened its doors to many students, teachers, scientists, artists, you name it. It has done what governments couldn’t do years ago. So, if I want to list what the internet can provide for us, I’ll be writing this till the last day of my life. In the past, we were talking about good citizens, but now we need good netizens. However, we need to put things at their positions so as to follow our path; I mean although the internet has all these ‘fancy slogans’ that may attract you in one way or another, you should bear in mind that watching only the tip of the iceberg won’t clear your vision. What is hidden matters the most, and we have to be careful about it. This article will discuss something that will change the way you see the internet, the way you see social media, and your attitude towards these words, follow, like, comment, and share. All that has been said can ruin the minds of the coming generation. The latter will be toxic and can share their toxins everywhere. By praising those who commercialize banality, your children will pay the price of being addicted to toxic thoughts, ideas, and nonsense activities. Let me break it down for you for more explanation.

It all started when I installed my Instagram account and wanted to make something beneficial for the community through my personal Instagram page. I wanted to share my own life with my friends and followers but in a good perspective. I like to share the books I’ve read, the proverbs I like and the sports I do, etc. Instagram as we all know it is, nowadays, a platform for so many people to influence and make it their career job instead of a hobby. Yet, what happened next drove me crazy! While scrolling through the search section of my Instagram, I came across some appealing accounts of both boys and girls, and I liked the description of their pages. Two words hooked my attention; “Content Creator” and “Influencer.” Some of you will see them as normal words, but to me, they are heavy words that can either destroy the society or lift it. They carry a huge meaning deep inside of them. Do you know what it’s like to be an influencer or a content creator? I think so many of you know, but they wrongly do it.

In this era, the majority of young girls and boys use Instagram as a means of gaining money, but little did they know that it’s not about what you get and how many followers you have; it’s about what you give in terms of quality and how you try to educate the uneducated society. Being an influencer or a content creator means that you carry a message, it means you have something to say and to deliver, it means you are one of the pillars of change in this community, and it means people will follow your path, your actions, and your attitude. Someone behind the screen is watching you so be careful of where you put your footsteps because some innocent young people are imitating you and are making you their role model. Be careful that one day your kids will come across your account and see your disgusting news feed. Don’t blame them for not being good citizens because you were already a bad netizen.

You claim to be an influencer so why is your account full of  the sexiest pictures and attractive poses? You claim to be a content creator so why are you showing the world the food you’ve eaten, the places you’ve visited, the parties you’ve thrown, the vacations you’ve spent and so many other things? Is that what a content creator does? To me, you are creating an illusion to others that your life is better than theirs. I am not against sharing your own life, but at least throw some spices of knowledge, some wisdom and some of your successful stories: by doing so, at least you’re going to change someone’s life. Maybe you’ll change your kids’ lives shortly. You know! It is all connected. What you give today will return to you or to your small family. I try not to judge a book by its cover, but how can I follow someone if I don’t see the cover, the first page of his or her Instagram? I followed so many people of both genders. What drew my attention was the descriptions of their pages. You may find someone who is a teacher, and he only shares what is related to teaching. You may find someone who is a public figure as in Nas Daily. The latter shares great content, and his voice is heard all over the globe. He is making the change at every spot of the world. I learned a lot from him.
To be continued…

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The Subaltern Has to Speak




Agadir, Morocco

By: Sana El Gharib



I opened my eyes into a very large and conservative family, and I lived among my uncles, aunts, and grandparents. I enjoyed my childhood and spent memorable times with my cousins who have been like brothers and sisters to me. However, I have always missed my father because he spends most of his time in another city due to work conditions.
In 2013, I got my baccalaureate degree for which I worked hard. I have been very competitive, and my efforts were on a par with the ambitious spirit I have had. I have drawn heartening plans for my educational career. I have had a strong feeling of excitement towards the future, and I always wanted to bring forth something significant and contribute in making some change.
When I got the baccalaureate certificate; I went hurriedly back home to cheer my parents. They have satisfied my expectations and showed me their feelings of pride and support. After all, I never thought that my father, who has always been encouraging me, was actually expecting me to stop, but he was completely melted in the big family’s traditions. Although he has never been narrow-minded, he couldn’t set himself apart from the patriarchal system run by male rule-makers in the family. He was caught between his natural softness and the influence of my uncles, specifically regarding the way they plan the destiny of every single girl in the family from cradle to grave. In fact, we, girls were all expected to wave the white flag, approximately at the age of eighteen, and compulsorily quit education in order to start considering marriage. Since my father was not utterly convinced, they made him believe that going to a university was not safe anyway because of the distance and that it would be better to give up the idea rather than to look for a solution. I couldn’t even have a chance to privately discuss the matter with my father. The big family’s restricted mind controlled everything, and when I tried to defend myself, I was viewed as disobedient, opinionated and strong-minded. They say we females do not have the right to speak when men speak because men know everything; they know our benefit and that is imprisoning ourselves at home waiting for our luck to pop up. They also say "get married so that you can get covered"  s if we were born to remain naked until we get married.
Such ideas represent the patriarchal fixed values that are still strongly operating in Moroccan society. Women are always expected to sacrifice something, and it is even believed that they are biologically ready to patiently bear anything. Many go through traumatic experiences inherent from primitive constrictions of society but prefer to remain silent.  Regarding my case, the reason that has made my female cousins accept their ‘pre-planned’ status is that they have been heartbreakingly injected with the idea that they are not qualified to choose for themselves. They are made to feel that they are lucky in comparison to their mothers who have never been at school. The aim is to make us females feel blessed since at least we could read and write, and for this we should be thankful and focus on what we were born to be slavish wives. In fact, I believe that marriage is a union of two equal people aiming to create a stable and bonded family based on giving and taking from both sides. It is an institution of love, support and acceptance. Accordingly, though getting married adds responsibilities to a woman’s life, it does not necessarily require giving up her education. Women are able to raise families and make a difference in society at the same time. Yet this understanding is still far-reached in our community where marriage is viewed as status, prestige, ego and competition. If your daughters all got married early, then you are the model of success celebrated by the public eye.
To make things worse, patriarchy agents tend to misuse religion to justify their deceptive practices and construct cultural codes based on mere fallacies. Furthermore, it has always been intended to intensify this confusion between Islamic teachings and all the constructed patriarchal norms that have for ages exploited our understanding through common practice and misrepresentation. Michel Foucault explained that “knowledge reflects power”; therefore, it is safe to say that the patriarchal system does not want us to pursue education or to be intellectual because the more we know the more we develop the ability to shake misconceptions. For instance, a little glimpse at Islamic history is sufficient to clearly demonstrate that the first verses revealed to the prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, order people to seek knowledge, and hadith, explanation, of the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, confirms that the verses pertain to both men and women. Also, the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, unhesitatingly accepted to marry his first wife Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, when she was a flourishing businesswoman, and Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, was a scholar and one of the most extraordinary figures in Islamic history who reported more than 2000 hadith to man-kind and extensively contributed to establish woman’s rights, the fact that mirrors that religion, namely Islam, has never been against women’s education or work.
After all my unsuccessful attempts to convince my parents to allow me to go to English department in Agadir, I sank into depression and isolated myself from everybody. I could not swallow it.  I thought there must be a way out. I knew something inside me would die if I surrendered. For this reason, I decided to go to Shariaa faculty and start studying there because it was not too far from the place where I lived. My parents could not say anything because it was all safe and that was what mattered the most for them. Thereby, others could not interfere anymore because I insisted on my decision, and it was also obvious that I was not interested in getting married at that time. My first year in Shariaa was like ‘Hell’. I had to study day and night to reach the required level because most of my colleagues were familiar with what we were studying and had already been students in traditional high schools. Besides, I started working and earning my own money, although not much and not regular, but It helped me to hang my hat on myself. There was an English class in the faculty, and I was obliged to attend it even though I did not want to show much enthusiasm because I was trying to forget and put up with my situation.
One day, my English professor asked me if I was interested in joining an English club that she and another professor had created, ‘Open to all’ club she said. I joined the club by chance, and I must admit that it was the best decision I made at the time. It was what brought me back closer to what I always wanted to do. Finding myself among people with whom I share the same love story helped me to overcome the feeling of disappointment and make use of the opportunities I have had. It has been the small world where I explored my personality and the miracle that has convinced my father that I was born to be different and decide for myself. I invited him to attend our activities and introduced him to the work I have been a part of. The feeling of pride that he has always been carrying for me indescribably blossomed when he talked to my professors and realized that I was one of the most brilliant students even though I had to undertake many responsibilities at same time. In 2016, my last year in Shariah faculty, I joyfully embraced the fruits of the tough challenges I had to undergo. My graduation year ended up in a celebratory tone, and I witnessed a turning point in my life. With my hard-earned BA and exceptional research, I have gained a rich package of experiences and memories.
Today, I am composing this humble piece of writing as a student in the English department. I finally managed to change the stream and open the door not only for myself but for my young sister as well.  It is true that sometimes I feel that I have wasted too much time trying to prove something that still seems nonsense for ‘the big family’ or patriarchal community in general. However, it makes me feel satisfied when I constantly receive motivational messages from my father before making every small step towards achieving my goals. I am about to graduate and get my second BA, and the same feeling of excitement towards living a life of my choice is still pulsing in my innermost mind. To change a person’s mindset without losing him/her is certainly worth the long and tough journey. I realized I have made a great difference when I heard my father clarifying to my sister’s fiancé that his condition is to ‘never force his daughter to give up education after marriage’.

Contractual Teachers : The Beginning



     By Khalid Boulbourj

”Integration or Blockage”, this is the motto of Moroccan contractual teachers, who despite their several protests, 6-day- strike, and sit-ins, have been systematically ignored by the ministry of education. The one demand that contractual teachers have been crying out since the protest of the 20th of February and even before is integration to the public sector, and henceforth, being able to enjoy the same rights as the employees of the ministry of education.

In 2016, and in response to a growing public indignation over overcrowdedness and lack of human resources to meet the increasing number of students enrolling in schools , the ministry of education sanctioned regional educational academies to announce entrance exams to meet their needs, namely hiring 70000 teachers over the course of three years from 2016 to 2019.

In 2016, 11000 contractual teachers were hired across the kingdom on a two-year contract. One of the contract’s many “discriminatory” clauses stipulates that it will be renewed automatically once the teachers take a qualification exam for another year. After two years, the contractual teachers appointed in 2016 didn’t take the qualification exam that would lead to the renewal of the contract with regional educational academies. Instead, they were shocked by the latter’s decision to put in an addendum to the first contract without consulting the second part of the deal, contractual teachers. The teachers considered this not only a stab to their backs but also a blatant and unlawful violation of the first contract. Shortly after, The Moroccan national coordination of the Teachers Forced into Contractual Teaching (Often abbreviated to CNPCC), known to be the only representative of contractual teachers in their struggle for integration, released a statement urging teachers to boycott signing the addendum and join their fellow-teachers in their struggle , exemplified in sits-in, protests and strikes, to achieve their major goal, integration to the public sector.

The success of contractual teachers’ boycott of the addendum and their strikes have sparked the outrage of officials. Many teachers state that in an effort to divide teachers’ ranks, regional educational academies didn’t pay the wages of 2016 teachers as menacing tact to force them into signing the add-on. Teachers also claimed that such retaliatory actions will only reinforce their conviction in the righteousness of their struggle against what they termed as a “ knot around the neck” (in reference to the contract they initially signed)

THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE TO THE DEMANDS OF CONTRACTUAL TEACHERS
After the 20th February protest that witnessed the presence of major national and international media outlets that covered in meticulous detail the massacre of contractual teachers that left many severely injured, the government’s spokesperson, Mustapha El Khalfi, expressed the government’s intention to listen and respond to the contractual teachers’ demands. Days later, a meeting was held between the members of the government, chaired by the prime minister, Saad El Othmani, to discuss the issue of contractual teachers. The post-meeting press release outlined the government’s willingness to modify some of the terms and clauses of the addendum and the Organic Law of the Employees of the Regional Educational Academies. Yesterday 9th of March, after a meeting with five Teacher unions, the ministry has expressed its determination to make several modifications, notable of which was the termination of the addendum. According to contractual teachers, these modifications are only polishing the image of the ministry and government by extension and don’t respond to the one and only demand that they have been seeking integration.

PUBLIC’S RESPONSE TO THE ISSUE OF CONTRACTUAL TEACHERS
Following the successful march of teachers, both permanent and contractual, public interest grew in this issue, especially after many teachers were unfortunately victims of a massacre led by police and auxiliary forces in an effort to disperse the crowds. The majority showed their sympathy and solidarity with teachers, who seemed to be heroes in their eyes, considering the fact that they stood firmly against the batons, water cannons, and overall terror that were used to discourage them.

Like any other issue, the righteousness of contractual teachers’ cause was once again put under the spotlight for public scrutiny. While many claim that the teachers knew and approved of the contract’s terms and clauses , others posit that occupations, such as teaching, should never be based on a fixed term contract and that they have every right to be integrated into the public sector, arguing that both, the Moroccan constitution and Organic Law of the Employees of the Ministry of Education, stipulate that Moroccans have the right to work in the public sector so long as they meet the requirements needed for the job. It is worth mentioning that before being appointed, Moroccan teachers are often required to sit for a written entrance exam, followed by an oral one, and undergo rigorous training.

A CONTRACT OR A KNOT AROUND THE NECK
The indignation of contractual teachers stems from what they have called discriminatory, unjust and arm-twisting clauses of the contract which are clearly intended to put teachers’ under the mercy of the headmasters and directors of regional educational academies or directorates. According to the Organic Law of the Employees of regional education academies, contractual teachers do not enjoy the same rights as those of permanent teachers, who are hired and are regulated by the Organic Law of the Employees of the Ministry of Education.

The third clause of the Organic Law regulating the work of contractual teachers offer sweeping , unlimited powers to superiors (headmasters of academies or directorates) who are authorized by virtue of the law to fire teachers without neither notice nor compensation after consulting with a committee , whose sole power is that of counseling, not executing or investigating. This particular clause has troubled teachers and lawmakers, considering the ambiguity of the language used.

Clauses 22 and 25 stipulate that if the contractual teacher is proven to be unfit for work due to an illness, the contractor (in this case the academy) has the right to fire the teacher without notice or compensation. Contractual teachers opposed rigorously this clause, arguing that the Organic Law of permanent teachers specifies that if a teacher is proven unfit for work due to an illness, the teacher shall have the right to early retirement with health care to cover their medical bills.

The abovementioned clauses are only instances of several inhuman, unjust clauses that have left contractual teachers no choice but to protect peacefully, strike, and organize sit-in , to simply be given their inherent rights.

MY OPINION
Universally, all humans have the right to occupy a job regardless of their gender, race, ethnic belonging, sexual orientation or any other consideration that may stop them from having their inherent right. It is therefore only fair for Moroccan teachers to ask for their immediate integration given that they have the requirements and qualifications needed for such endeavor. Denying them the right to integration and enforcing upon them laws that only serve to enslave them or put a knot around their necks is a blatant violation of the Moroccan constitution, the Organic Law of the Employees of the Ministry of education. I may go as far as to call it systematic discrimination that is intended to divide the ranks of teachers and install categorization instead of solidarity and unity. Contractual teachers have kept their side of the bargain by working with extreme consciousnesses under dire circumstances. However, the ministry and its tails, educational academies and directorates have once again broken their promises and violated the laws they have designed themselves. Instead of offering contractual teachers their inherent right and apologizing to them for having tortured them psychologically through degrading laws and ill-treatment, they have decided to stop their wages. In an atmosphere where the trust between the governed and government is shaken or absent altogether, one cannot hope for a bright future because without trust, there can be no development.

NOTE TO READERS AND MY FELLOW TEACHERS
I have deliberately used the term “contractual” teachers repeatedly to somehow help the reader understand the psychological burden that such label weighs on teachers who were indeed forced into contractual teaching. Anyone would get the impression that such teachers are “second-degree” teachers in comparison with permanent teachers. However, I have always believed that they are as hard-working and willing to give as any other teacher. It is such division that has stopped this sector from improving. Therefore, I call on all teachers to respect others and use the term fellow-teacher because we are all suffering from the same problems and aspire to achieve the same goals. So, why should we be divided by inhuman labels?

Universities Make us Dumber!




Agadir, Morocco
A university student is the one who can rely on himself and be an information seeker. Yet, some students still stick to the teacher to get thoughts and new information. For some reasons, they used to do that in high school along with being too lazy to give it a try and search for knowledge. Anyhow, this is not the story I am going to talk about, but something that seriously happened during my university life.

As a first-year student at the university, I wasn’t able to attend all classes; I only attended some. It was due to my working condition. I was a private school teacher. I taught English to primary kids. So, I decided to get all the handouts from a library to start my humble journey, which was studying English. I was good, but not the best in this language.

As the days went by, I asked some students about the things they studied in class and what the teacher shared with them. They told me that most of the teachers taught subjects which were not their specialty. They only brought laptops; they read from PowerPoint, and it was up to you to grasp the subject. I wasn’t surprised for I had already attended some classes and noticed this very disgusting reality. When the days of the exams were near, I was already prepared for them, and I was eager to pass them well. I was 100% sure that they would be very easy. I passed some of them well and others not that well because of not being able to attend. It was OK for me. I wasn’t competing to get higher grades. I went only to level up myself and to be better than who I was years before.

One of the teachers had announced that his exam would be oral. I was thrilled at the time. I entered the class with a classmate whom I didn’t know. The teacher asked me first some questions about the topic. The latter was about public speaking. I answered his entire questions. Yet, he noticed that I wasn’t a student who attended regularly. I told him so. He said why weren’t you able to come to the class? I said that I was busy with work. I couldn’t rely on my family. I was 25 years old at the time. He again asked me other questions about my profession as a teacher of English. I answered his entire questions again. Then, he moved on to the classmate next to me. He asked him a few questions because he was a student who kept attending regularly. The guy answered only some of them. Later, when the grades showed up on our university site, I was shocked for I got only 12 in spoken English. Henceforth, I concluded that the reason behind getting that lower grade was due to not attending his classes. So, I didn’t even react to that and I moved on.

This is how universities make us dumber. Do I have to attend your classes to get higher degrees? Do I have to write on the day of the exam what you have taught me literally? I am not a robot. I am a student who can think critically and answer differently without being out of the topic. This is not the university then. This is a company which builds robots.

The next year was again a strange one. I was exposed to what they called “Advanced Grammar.” Grammar was my thing and still is. In time, I decided to attend grammar class. I was participating a lot until the teacher knew my name. I was recognized among others. However, when the day of the exam arrived, I did all my effort to ace the exam. I passed it well, and I was sure I would get a good grade although I did make a few mistakes. Not long after, when the grades showed up on the site, I was shocked again for I only got 4 on the exam. I went to the coordinator of the English department, and I told him to call the teacher. I wanted him to show me my exam paper. The teacher came and gave me some of his excuses. I told him if I got 4, I would quit this building for good. He tried to calm me down and he did. So, I decided to pass the makeup exam. Finally, I got 18 in grammar. I wasn’t surprised because I already know my level, and I worked hard.

Shortly after, “He who is better in this class will only get 14 in my subject,” a teacher of composition said. Was he competing with us? Was he trying to show his muscles since he was a teacher? Who are you to forbid your students to get more than that? This is a rubbish mentality. This is not how a teacher should treat his students. Anyway, when I heard that statement, I decided not to attend his classes, and I was confident enough to reach his top grade of 14. Soon after when I pass his composition exam, I saw my grade on the website. and yes, I got 14 in both semesters. If he extended the grades to 16 or 18, I would get them for sure.

I am not an easy person. If I insert something in my mind, I will get it no matter how long it takes. The next three years of the university went so fast, and I got my degree. I wasn’t happy enough to get that, but, anyway, the market job was insisting to get it.

Last but not least, for most of the times, knowledge can be reached everywhere for there is this space-age technology called internet now. Yet, what most teachers do not know is that a student can be better than a teacher because he can access any information he or she wants. Stop making us dumber. This is not the goal of a university. A university is for guiding students in their field of research, to help them get what they want, to avoid teachers showing their muscles over their students, to let them do the work, to try to communicate with them and to exchange ideas not to mention to give a student, whether he or she attends or not, what he or she deserves. Students are not the same. There are some whose only job is to study, whereas others must work outside and attend university from time to time.

Without forgetting the bright side, not all teachers are the same. There are some who really deserve to be called teachers. Yet, I can only count them on my fingers. I came across some of the teachers who really left a good impact on me. They were organized enough to do their job. They did that because they taught subjects of their specialty and also they loved what they were doing. That was called proficiency. I really admired the inevitable work they did for us. I still grasp their lessons up to now.

Last of all, people in charge and those who call themselves “teachers,” try to change your attitude towards your students. You are communicating with human beings and not robots. Students can do the lessons, can do presentations, and do activities so stop spoon-feeding them. Do not forget that our educational system is in dire straits. At least, let’s cooperate together and make something new for the generation to come. Stop repeating the same behind the scenes because it will only lead us to the same movie which is a horrible university.

WILCA, a Crossroad of Internationalization of Cultures and Local Arts, in its First Edition in The Region of Souss Massa



Agadir, Morocco

WILCA, a new concept, first edition

The region of Souss Massa was mobilized for an event, which is original by its nature and huge in its impact: The first edition of WILCA (Week of Internationalizing Local Culture and Arts), from Oct 27th to Nov 1st.

The concept of WILCA is part of the vision of his majesty Mohamed VI, for the valorization of Moroccan intangible cultural heritage, where arts are in its core.

WILCA’s mission is for participants to discover, explore and add value to the local arts, by means of cultural exchange between local, traditional musical groups and their international counterparts. We meet to share experiences and values, also to sing and dance together, all in the spirit of thinking local. WILCA’ s mission consists also of promoting the rural and back country of Souss Massa region, by organizing tours and expeditions that includes all these areas.

The concept of WILCA was initially inspired by the work and activities of the ambassador of Moroccan culture in the USA, Fattah Abbou, the co-founder of the musical band AZA, then it was developed and widened by ARCID to include other aspects of the cultural and artistic heritage in the rural areas of the region, with the goal of internationalizing it.

WILCA between academia, culture and tourism

The first edition of WILCA was co-organized by ARCID (African Research Center for Innovation and Development) and RDTR (Réseau de Développemenet du Tourisme Rural), in collaboration with L ENCG D’Agadir. The inauguration took place in an academic context, Agadir ENCG, in order to sensitize students of the importance of cross- cultural dialogue in their personal development, and in their approach to future company/organization management.  After that, WILCA took the road to visit the mountains of Ida Outanan, the oasis of Tata and Foum Zguid desert to close the event in Igran of Tiout.

WILCA, a success story that opened up the horizon


The success of the first WILCA edition was evident. With over a hundred participants including local artists, Americans, and fans of the local culture and arts in general. It was a memorable cultural exchange between local artists (Lahcen Id Hammou, Ahmed Amaynou, Rwaiss, Tilila band, mizan Tiyout and many others), Fattah Abbou, the ambassador of the Moroccan Culture in the USA, and his students. This exchange has inspired future events that invest in internationalization of local culture and arts in a cross- cultural exchange with other nations.

 “The next WILCA 2019 will not be limited to music and arts, but it will involve academia. We will bring experts in different fields such us anthropology, musicology, sociology and organize lectures and conferences” (Underlined Dr.Rachid Oumlil, the President Founder of ARCID). 

The Discursive Shift in Moroccan Advertisements


Khadija Badri is a Moroccan English student and a spoken word writer and performer. She got her BA degree at the faculty of letters and humanities, University of Chouaib Doukkali, El Jadida. She had been once a member-founder of a "Live room" association.


El Jadida, Morocco

Media plays a major role in propagating ideologies that most viewers consume blindly. Women constitute a high percentage in watching media and precisely television. They are accustomed to consume variety of media texts. This paper is going to discuss the awareness raised among women when it comes to the consumption of media texts that concerned gender in particular. 

This awareness causes a shift in the dominant discourse in media-that of patriarchy. Adopting feminist media theories, this paper tends to discuss the evolution of women’s consumption of media texts related to gender relying on some advertisements broadcasted in the Moroccan channel 2M.

Feminist media theory relies on feminist theory. It applies concepts to articulate feminist values to media procedures. It sheds light on women representation in news and entertainment across media platforms. Feminist media theory addresses gender biases that media producers disseminate especially in advertising.

Advertising is considered to be the predominant source of misrepresentations. Most advertisements on gender use the woman as a commodity. Wolf (1991) argues that women’s beauty has two functions. First, it is social. It constrains women’s behavior within the frame of femininity and the beauty model that every woman should look like, and it sets them in an anxious competition by providing standards of beauty like body shape and skin color. Second, it is economic. Women’s beauty is regarded as a commodity that can be bought and sold.

Women should be at the disposal of the male gaze. The image of woman, as Mulvey states it, is always regarded as (passive) raw material for the (active) gaze of man.

Advertising does not only constrict women social behavior, but it also restricts women’s role in society. Women in advertisement do not belong anywhere but to their husbands’ home. They should joyfully do the housework and take care of the whole family so they can live a happy life. In advertisement we consume the ideology that for a woman to be a good woman, she should do the housework all by herself, take care of  the children and at the end of the day she should look good for her husband when he comes back home. This is the key for an ideal successful marriage.

The advertisements related to gender are usually broadcasted within the frame that women are in trouble and they need men to solve the problems for them. In “Mr. Clean” commercials, for example, we see a woman who is trapped in a messy house. Her mother-in- law is waiting downstairs. The woman is desperate. It is in that moment when Mr. Clean appears as a super hero and saves the woman in a glimpse of an eye. In this commercial, women do not even succeed in doing the housework. They are dependent on men to provide them with the solution even within the domestic sphere.

This hegemonic discourse becomes hard to maintain nowadays. Both women and men become aware of the misuse of gender in media. In social media, “Nestle” broadcasts a reality show #baghi ntzewej in order to provide women with receipts in a new way. It brings five beautiful women who compete against each other for the sake of one man “sidi anass”. Both genders see this reality show as an insult to women. They use social media to express their anger towards promoting such program. They write hash tags like “the notion of women is resumed to a desert! What a scandal”, “it’s a SHAME” and “this is an insult to both men and women”.

These reactions on social media oblige “Nestle” manufacturer to apologize for all Moroccans and stop the reality show program immediately. It is thanks to social media platforms that women have the possibility to control media content and have an influence on the producers of advertisements. Now we see advertisements that give priority to women. For example, “Groupe Credit Agricole” produces a commercial that says the Morocco that we love is that of youth and of the woman at first. This commercial acknowledges women’s worth. Unlike other commercials, the commercial produced by “Groupe Credit Agricole” does not restrict women’s role to the home.

For the first time in 2M’s history, Mio, a dishwashing liquid, produces a commercial in the form of an apology. It is an apology from men to women for all the time they did not help them in doing the housework. The commercial says this is a new age where we should all help each other inside the domestic sphere.

This awareness of consumption and the shift of discourse in media texts can never be achieved without awareness. Feminist media theory helps both genders to recognize the gender biases as well as women’s misrepresentation in media. Now, women are exposed to a new kind of media, social media, where their voices are heard. It is a sphere through which they have the ability to change commercial contents as well as sexist programs.

References:


-Mulvey, L. (1975). Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Oxford Journals, 16(3):6-18.

Doi:10.1093/screen/16.3.6.

-Wolf, N. (2015). The beauty myth. London: Vintage Books.