Meet Pakistan's first female superhero: The Burka Avenger. When I first heard( via the Mary Sue) that this was going to be an animated show, I had a few Sociological issues with the concept. Before I saw the show, I took issue with the title "Burka Avenger". It left me with too many unanswered questions. Was she going to avenge women's right to or not to wear a Burka? Was this going to be a subversive cartoon about women's visibility and choice, or is it going to repackage old sexist repressive stereotypes disguised as female empowerment (i.e. faux feminism)? Secondly, given the socio-political and international legislative kerfuffle that has been present throughout international relations lately, regarding the Burka, I thought this could act as a lightening rod to further destabilize and divide individuals and countries on this issue. After seeing the first episode (embedded above), I am pleasantly surprised but maintain a healthy amount of trepidacious skepticism.
The show's opening credit sequence, the best part of the episode in my opinion, tells an origin story that is commonplace: a child that was orphaned by violent and tragic means is taken in by a wise master who teaches the child a special skill to fight crime, get revenge etc. What makes this uncommon, is that the protagonist is female.
Jiya, the main character, even though she has a typically masculine backstory, that is usually a motivator for going on to fight for a world where no one will ever lose their parents (ala Batman) or for "truth justice and the "the American Way" (ala Superman) she fights for justice, peace and education for all. This is very subversive and radically outspoken given the tragic events befalling Malala Yousuf and her courage and determination while fighting for a woman's right to education.
As a westerner with no cultural, religious or emotional investment in the burka (outside of the issues of choice and body representation) I did not have an issue with how it was used in the episode. Essentially, the burka is used to hide Jiya's identity and the animation uses it much like a ninja outfit (along with an added wicked cool gliding ability). However, I can see with this secular use of a religious garb how some people might be offended, seeing this as sacrilege. This also brings up the reality that many girls and women do not have a choice in when, where and for what purpose they can or can not wear the burka. This is not addressed in the first episode but I hope gets addressed in the series.
One issue I felt troubled by in the first episode is that while Jiya uses the tools of education as a teacher, her alter ego, The Burka Avenger, uses pens and books as proxies for grappling hooks and Shurikens. I think sends a mixed message of how we are supposed to use education to better our society. Yes, she is fighting for the right to get an education for boys and girls. I am not sure she needs to use the objects that are commonly associated with education as gimmicks to defend and fight crime.
I am disappointed that the animation is not of the highest quality. The better the quality of the animation the more likely, I believe, people are willing to watch. The best parts of animation are the parts with The Burka Avenger, those moments of animation are cleaner and more fluid. Although, personally, I could do without the blatant Matrix references.
I applaud the creators for taking such a bold new step towards equality. Now, middle eastern women and girls of color can have a more positive female role model that, at least attempts, to maintain cultural and religious tradition while attempting to re-appropriate clothing for a brighter future.
This ends the Sociology Alert!
