We went out for a ride on the motorcycle this morning. I knew it would be cold, so I bundled up in layers, pulled my balaclava over my head, put on the biggest pair of sunglasses I own, and donned my helmet. Mike called me a Stormtrooper.

Somewhere along Farm to Market 156, I realized I liked wearing the balaclava and dark glasses under my helmet. It provided a hiding place of sorts. I could see out, but THEY couldn’t see in. It gave me a feeling of anonymity. Maybe even a slight sense of control. No stranger could evaluate me based on what I look like. No one could know my expression and thereby read something into it.

And I wondered if this is how Muslim women sometimes feel, who are required to wear burkas out in public? Does it provide them a sense of protection, blending into a crowd without a second look from male or female passersby? Do they enjoy a sense of secrecy about themselves?

I’ve never spoken to a woman who was wearing a burka, but would probably find interaction quite unsettling without being able to see nuances of facial expression. Would she be smiling? Frowning? No one would know but her.

In the Netherlands, school officials once forbade students from wearing burkas, arguing that non-verbal communication is required to teach the syllabus. A court in New Zealand ruled that women cannot wear a burka while providing courtroom testimony.
In Italy, hiding one's face while in public has been forbidden since 1975. An anti-terrorism law passed in 2005 imposes increased fines and prison sentences for violators of the law.

People want to be able to read a face. They want to make up their own minds (however wrong their conclusions may be) as to what the person is thinking based on the arch of her brow, the twitch of her cheek muscle, or the curve of her mouth. Juries have made convictions based on the fact that the defendant didn’t make appropriate expressions (most notably, Lindy Chamberlain, the “the dingoes ate my baby” defendant).

Even wearing sunglasses can arouse distress. When I encounter someone with a pair of dark sunglasses on, I find myself feeling slightly uncomfortable while engaging in conversation with them. The inability to make eye contact is a little disconcerting. I think them rude if they don’t remove the sunglasses while we talk!

The eyes may be the window to the soul, but if one hides one’s face, there better be a mighty good reason!

Nevertheless, on days like today when the conditions warrant, I’m allowed to be mysterious. I’m a Stormtrooper.

posted by Joye @ 4:46 PM

3 Comments:

At 3/18/2006 7:46 AM, Brent said…

Storm Troopers don't have to wait until "conditions warrant!" Wear it whenever you want to!
At 3/18/2006 11:11 AM, Joye said…

What are you, an anarchist?...ok, I'll wear it to church tomorrow.
At 3/19/2006 10:50 AM, Lindsay said…

You have me laughing hysterically. Re: burkas, I have seen women interviewed who took both sides, some loving the anonimity and others feeling the confinement. I would think it comes down to personality. A sanguine temprement could not abide being hidden from the world, where a meloncholic temprement like yours would find freedom in it.