The career path of today’s featured woman may not seem highly unusual to those of us in the Western culture, after all there are a lot of female artists and women pursuing graphic design careers. But for Hana Hajar, her art means more than just a few pretty designs. Hana is a cartoonist from Saudi Arabia and her drawings shed new light on the negative aspects of being a female in such a culture.
In the following example, Hana depicts a woman being scrutinized from every angle to see if she “measures up” to Middle Eastern standards of the perfect female. Notice the lighted match ready to burn her if she doesn’t qualify.
While the satirical drawings may paint a dark picture to those of us in the West, Hana Hajar is commended for her brave work and for exposing the treatment of women there for what it is. Cruel and deplorable.
Hajar’s cartoons are featured in a Saudi-based English newspaper called Arab News and not only mocks the treatment of females but also war, government and a host of other topics.
To see more of Hana’s work, check out hanahajar.com
