Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1060184
25 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 DECEMBER 2018 OPINION It appeals to a universal sense of social justice, whereby 'good things happen to good people trapped in bad circumstances' on… no, not the pop singer, the other one) is an embodiment of 'modesty, humility, chastity ad virtue'… what's on the other end of the scale? It's all condensed into that one little word, 'qahba'. It encapsulates the generally impossible ideal all women are expected to live up to… and punishes those who can't, by casting them as the very oppo- site: as far from 'perfection' as it is possible to be. Kind of unfair, don't you think? On women in general… but on prostitutes in particular. And this, too, is that something that might be 'unique' about our national prejudice against 'prostitution'. Similar preju- dices exist everywhere; but they are usually tempered by the 'redeeming factors' tradition- ally attached to that role by vir- tually all the world's cultures. What would literature and (especially) film be, without the stock character of the 'prostitute with the heart of gold'? That's already the entire 'Western' genre – John Wayne, Clare Tre- vor and all – wiped out in fell swoop. 'Gone with the Wind', too. (No, I mean the film by that name. It has a 'gold-hearted prostitute' character too…) And as for Julia Roberts: she would probably have remained a struggling unknown actress all her life, exploited forever by the Harvey Weinsteins of Holly- wood… instead of becoming the world's highest paid filmstar, thanks to the global success of 'Pretty Woman'. Remember? That classic 'rags to riches' cinematic fairy tale, about a Los Angeles street- walker who finds true love (and spectacular wealth) in the form of Richard Gere, who overcomes his own prejudices to look beyond the superficial trappings of society, and….? Yeah, that's the one. Well, just imagine if 'Pretty Woman' was made to reflect the moral compass of the typical Maltese 'slut-shamer' today. It would be classic case of 'rags to...um… more rags': Julia Roberts would start out as a prostitute in the gutter… and she would basically stay there forever. I mean, she's a slut, isn't she? She ought to know her place. And anyway, who would want to see 'her kind' actually rising above her humble origins, to eventually carve out a success- ful life of her own? No: she made her bed, now she should sleep in it, etc. And to argue that point most convincingly onscreen, would be none other than Richard Gere himself: who would have shamelessly exploited Julia at the nearest motel, then dumped her on the pavement and driven off in his glistening red Lamborghini… The End. Yeah, that will get the Oscars just pouring in, right? 'Not a dry eye in the house', the critics said… probably because there were no eyes in the house at all: everyone just stormed out in a huff before Intermission. But it didn't happen like that, did it? No: Julia Roberts starts off as a 'slut/whore/qahba/ troia'; and thanks to series of cheesy and entirely predictable plot developments, she ends up as a successful social cli… I mean, she works her way up to the top… No, not that way... Oh, you know what I mean. She wins in the end, and every- one comes out of the cinema all happiness and smiles. There is, after all, a reason why that formula has always worked so well. It appeals to a universal sense of social justice, whereby 'good things happen to good people trapped in bad circumstances'. It is the complete absence of anything resembling this senti- ment, anywhere in the 'Woman + Politics = Slut' equation, that I find most offensive. DIRECTORY | DEALS | QUOTES | REVIEWS OWN A BUSINESS? Why spend more in marketing when you can get more with less? GET YOUR BUSINESS LISTED! Contact us today on +356 2099 7555 | sales@findit.com.mt | www.findit.com.mt 7500+ Sessions daily 150+ Emails daily 28,000+ Daily page views