Table of ContentsMiddle Eastern WomenFeminismDeconstructionConclusionWhen considering people's first thoughts towards women, it varies from person to person, gender to gender other and from one nation to another. The perception of women is highly dependent on external influences such as religion, relationships, and the political position of the country where the individual resides. In the book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, the representation of women can be divided into two very distinct visions. One point of view is that of a strong, opinionated and resourceful woman. The second view shows the reader a hidden, unimportant woman who plays certain roles. The book follows Satrapi's life from childhood and the transition from childhood to adulthood. The aim of this article is to prove that the novel Persepolis deconstructs the typical Western perception of Islamic women and more particularly of Iranian women. This will be proven by understanding the range of women who defy expectations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayBy analyzing and understanding the normal perception of women, one can clearly state that the role of women in society and in general has radically changed over time. age. By analyzing studies carried out on the representation of women in advertisements from the 1970s, the results made it possible to identify four general points of view about women of this period. The first view asserted that a woman's role resides in the home. Second, women are not allowed to do anything important and cannot make any important decisions. The only excusable decisions involve purchasing cheap items. This is practically the only time when women showed signs of minor independence since simple decisions were authorized by the man of the house. The third general point of view of the study indicates that women are dependent on men and need men for protection and that the final point of view of the women in the advertisements was that men view women as sexual objects and that men, in particular, do not care about women in society. The study shows how advertisements from the 1970s viewed women during Westernization and argues that women were considered unimportant and had very little importance in the growing culture other than sex and housework. In comparison to Iran during the revolution, women were treated the same way saying it was for “Islam”. However, by enforcing sanctions and regulations, women in Iran were being deprived of their right to wear and say whatever they wanted, on top of that. while the rest of the world saw societal reforms regarding women, Iran pushed even further to eliminate these modern ideas. Compared to Iran, women from outside began to be more independent and play a greater role in society. Even though women are now seen as more independent and have gained a lot of respect, society still divides women into two very distinct categories. The first is the housewife and the second is known as the career woman. In relation to this category, in 1970, women made up 29 percent of the global workforce and in 2009, they made up 46.8 percent of the workforce. Middle Eastern Women When considering the typical Iranian woman, it can be said that the majority of people view her as covered and silent. These stereotypes come from Islam, because this religion imposes on womencertain rules regarding their external appearance. The book begins by bringing the reader to the center of the situation when these laws were enforced. Satrapi, from the first page of the book, rejects pre-existing misconceptions and thoughts about Iranian women. As the novel takes place just after the 1977 revolution, the country's power and authorities have been at odds. A study by Patricia Higgins explains the situation best, without a doubt.external bias “In March 1979, less than two months after revolutionary forces succeeded in overthrowing the Shah from power, thousands of women transformed the celebration the victory planned for International Women's Day into a demonstration against announced plans to make the veil compulsory. Although the issue of veiling was the catalyst, protesters were also concerned about the exclusion of women from the justice and military systems and the Pahlavi government's plans to revise marriage and family laws. After actively participating in street protests supporting the revolution – most often with the veil or scarf and in gender-segregated groups considered appropriate in Islam – it seemed women were not ready to accept the more conservative Islamic definition of their place.” This excerpt from the diary gives readers insight into the changes that occurred after the revolution. This is an important source as Satrapi and her mother go through this revolution and deal with the changes it brings. In the introductory period of the novel, Starapi's mother was depicted as a protester for women and it was during this important period that Satrapi's mother's life was in danger. On page 5 of the novel, there is an illustration of Satrapi's mother clenching her fist and the text says: "During one of the protests, a German journalist took a photo of my mother." Following this illustration, it was discovered that she ended up dyeing her hair blonde and began wearing large dark glasses to ensure that she was not recognized by any of the authorities. Shortly after the end of the public protests and according to Higgins, "the controversy over the role of women in Iran continued, but in less dramatic forms." The first pages of Persepolis were crucial because many readers are completely unaware of the history of the veil in Iran, people just seemed to believe that Iranian women had always worn the veil. Persepolis shows the reader that women have not always been oppressed in Iran and this is done by showing the reader an image depicting young girls playing in the schoolyard. The children run around the schoolyard with their veils and show no respect as one veil is on the ground, one girl uses the veil as a skipping rope and the other uses her veil as if it were the reins of a horse. Another depiction in the same image shows the schoolgirls explaining different reasons why they don't want to wear the veil, one girl saying simply because it's too hot outside. One of the main purposes of this article is to provide people with information about women in Western culture and women in the Middle East, a fact accepted by many people is that both groups of women have gone through an immense struggle and that through this struggle, change has been achieved. After doing further research, we observed that Western women have the ability to express their concerns and problems compared to Middle Eastern women. As previously reported, Satrapi's mother managed to protest against the rules, but she had to fear for her life as he was.