Sexism In The Arabian Night

Rayne Marinoff

Louis Hutchins

1001 Nights

20 January 2023

Sexism, Beauty, and the Moon: The Modern Relevance of The Arabian Nights

Although The Arabian Nights was written so many years ago, the theme of beauty within it is still relevant today. The Arabian Nights is made up of many short stories that fit into a frame story. It tells the tale of Shahrazad, a brave young woman, who tells King Shahrayar wonderful stories each night so that he will not have her killed. In her stories, she tells of many wondrous occurrences and interesting characters, such as Badr, a young king in the tale of “Jullanar and the Sea”. He is described to be of magnificent beauty, but while trying to find a wife worthy of him, he is turned into a bird not once but twice!

Instead, their worth tends to be judged by their strength and power. Of the two kings not from Sharazad’s stories that we hear about, “the older, Sharayar, was a towering night and a daring champion, invincible, energetic, and implacable” (5). Essentially, he is the gold standard, society considers him better than his brother. However, among all the praises for Shahrayar, none of them mention his looks, implying that they do not matter. Later on, Sharazad starts off her first story by saying “that once there was a prosperous merchant who had abundant wealth and investments and commitments in every country. He had many women and children and kept many servants and slaves.” (18). The merchant’s wealth, possessions, and success determine his worth, but not his looks. Women do not have total control over their looks, and he does not have total control over those factors. Though it may be easier to make money than to become more beautiful, men, like women, are also judged for things which may be out of their control, such as class. Interestingly, the only time one sees men judged for their looks is in “Jullanar and the Sea”, where beauty is a main