Exoticism or Empowerment? The Representation of Non-normative Women and Prostitution in Nabil Ayouch's Much Loved

Davies Hayon, Kaya (2020). Exoticism or Empowerment? The Representation of Non-normative Women and Prostitution in Nabil Ayouch's Much Loved. L'Esprit Créateur, 60(2) pp. 99–112.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/esp.2020.0024

Abstract

Veiling is not compulsory in Morocco, but women are expected to wear clothing that covers certain parts of their bodies (breasts, shoulders, torso, knees) in the public domain. [...]female sexuality is heavily controlled, and women are not supposed to engage in sexual relations with men outside marriage. Yet, as Moha Ennaji explains, "[i]nequality concerning inheritance is maintained" and women are still expected to conform to certain gendered norms regarding their appearance and behavior.5 Moreover, unemployment levels remain high, and illiteracy is widespread amongst women from rural areas in particular.6 Though the so-called Arab Spring of 2011 did not result in regime change in Morocco, it did lead to the 20 February Movement, during which crowds of women and men gathered in the streets to demand greater legal and cultural rights (Sadiqi 140). [...]although their legal status has improved since 2004, Moroccan women still suffer from higher poverty and unemployment levels than men. [...]of their lifestyle and work, prostitutes are not considered to be able to act virtuously and are relegated to the margins of Moroccan society.