Stereotypes In The Film 'Not Without My Daughter'

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The film Not Without My Daughter follows Betty Mahmoody, her Iranian-American husband, Moody, their daughter Mahtob, and their American/Iranian cultural struggle. Unfortunately, the message widely spread by this film is an unfair representation promoting anti-Islamic hate. Reinforced stereotypes and biased news reports have led the Western population to believe that the Islamic religion and people are violent towards others, especially their women. These inaccurate prejudices are equally fueled by prejudice sources such as the content found within Not Without My Daughter. Western observers presume that this unfamiliar culture and its people must be primitive, oppressive and abusive, sexist, and violent, all because of the generalized stereotypes presented in movies, such as Not Without My Daughter. Iran is …show more content…

Chadors, the commonly seen choice in garb, is introduced to the viewer in an overwhelming scene of swarming covered figures, taking Mahtob further and further away from Betty. The scene automatically induces anxiety in the viewer. Stereotypes of oppression are confirmed when Betty is forced by her husband to wear the veil. Tension furthers when she is attacked by guards for not properly wearing the veil. The error in this presentation is that Western viewers most likely know little to no background on the political and religious significance of the veiling, and this movie fails to provide any explanation. Not Without My Daughter presents the perfect example of conformation bias. Psychologically this can be described as a passive experience, where, in the case of the movie, viewers subconsciously seek out information that’s related to their belief. As a result of the inaccurate portrayal of the Iranian majority, viewers are herded into a state of animosity towards these characters, especially those who have no knowledge of the religion or

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