ABSTRACT
Middle East leaving no stone of authoritative oppression unturned. What began as Arab youth’s refusal to put up with the status quo quickly grew into a protest movement that inspired hope in transforming the political culture of the region. In this new political climate, the role of women has been noteworthy-thousands of female protesters from various creeds and backgrounds were seen marching in the streets against the abuse of power and neglect for human rights. In the eyes of the Western media, women’s participation in the political protest was one of the most frequently visualized symbols of the revolution itself. Yet, the fact that the Western media’s portrayal of female protesters and activists serves as one of only a few visual tokens of women’s positioning in the political structures of the region is highly problematic. For one, it implies that women have by and large been almost entirely excluded from participating in the political process and, therefore, must be granted political agency. Additionally, these widely circulating images create the misleading notion that Middle Eastern female politicians are either non-existent or are to be seen as a novelty, with the exception of one group of female political actorsthe First Ladies, who ruled alongside their authoritarian husbands.
