A prominent argument today is that the burqa is a symbol of male domination that symbolizes objectification of women. Nussbaum's rebuttal to this argument is ultimately very strong however there are some weaknesses with it. She explains how our society is full of symbols of male supremacy that treat women as objects. For example tight jeans, seductive magazines and photos of women, plastic surgery, tummy tucks, etc. Nussbaum makes her point that these things are done in order to satisfy men. However I disagree with this in some sense. Just because women are concerned with their image and physical appearance does not mean that they are doing it solely to please men. I personally wear make up and enjoy looking presentable for my own satisfaction and no one else's. I feel confident and good about myself when I look good. Nussbaum is making an assumption here about western women in this sense. However she talks about how people who make this argument typically don't know much about Islam and would have a hard time determining what symbolizes the religion. People make assumptions before doing their research and understanding religions. I agree with this and found it to be a strong argument. Her use of rhetorical strategies were very strong as well. She used some rhetorical questions which helped to get the audience thinking about her points.
Rebuttal #2
It is argued that security requires people to show their faces when appearing in public places. Another similar argument says that the kind of "transparency proper to relations between citizens is impeded by covering part of the face." Nussbaum retaliates these arguments by saying how they are applied inconsistently. She then makes a really strong rebuttal point by explaining how people are bundled up head to toe, covering almost all parts of their bodies during winter time in the midwest and yet there is no issue with security or transparency. In addition surgeons, dentists, football players, and skiers cover their faces during their professions with no discrimination about it whatsoever. Nussbaum's rebuttal is that we are not banning covering we are banning solely muslim covering. She does a really good job at using examples. In addition Nussbaum explains how Americans dress compared to Muslims and does so in such a way to make her readers see how it is not so much different after all. I thought these comparisons really helped to show how Muslims who veil themselves are not much different than the way Western people dress.
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