One more, which is in the image gallery for this tribe: images.tribe.net/tribe/upl...45557c8933

This one is easily my favorite!

Not funny.

I was pretty offended at the "exotic pet" one and the others are definitely tasteless!

Thanks for all your responses! I've also posted something about this on my facebook page at www.facebook.com/topic.php if you'd like to see some other reactions.

I too disliked several of them.

I posted this thread because I think it's important for us, as dancers, to understand what sorts of images are out there influencing the general public's beliefs regarding what a "belly dancer" is, what our purpose is, and what we do. For example, the "pet" one (YUCK) perpetuates stereotypes about the purpose of belly dance to be serving men, and it objectifies us as being nothing more than sex slaves (YUCK again).

I didn't mind the "Turkey" one, because I didn't find it to be so objectifying or insulting. Though I didn't think the artwork was particularly good. But I barfed all over a couple of them!

Here's another one that I LIKE:

www.bellydanceplus.com/articl...iet.htm

Though I should disclose it was drawn by my husband....

I wouldn't worry too much, a quick search of that site got me tripe that is offensive and exploits stereotypes of vegetarians, ballerinas, wiccans, the Japanese.... And all poorly drawn, I might add. ;) There's still hope for the rest of the world.

The terrorist one was mildly funny but all were kinda offensive. The Turkey one struck me as a bit racist, too. Or maybe just poorly drawn.

The snail ones were cute though.

Alright, I'm offended, but mostly I'm offended as an illustrator. People are selling those? People are buying those? It's visual garbage.

Not so happy as a bellydancer or a woman either.....women are not pets. Or prizes.

And that last one?

However, the terrorist thing did give me a chuckle...mostly because that's about the reaction my security-clearance parents had when I took up bellydancing.....

However...to the cartoonist...nothing is sacred.....until they get sued.

I'm beginning to think I'm the only one NOT offended by these cartoons. They're just cartoons (and badly drawn ones at that). No, they may not portray the image of belly dancer the way we like it, but then again, who gets accurately represented by cartoonists? They insult vegetarians, role players, video gamers, historians, scholars, and Pagans (and every other religion for that matter) alike with no regard for what those people are like in the real world. As a cartoonist, people are more interested in seeing you portray negative stereotypes than provide a good, honest image of the world. How is that funny?

Yes, having a belly dancer as an "exotic pet" does go to the topic of objectifying women (not just belly dancers) and that they are somehow property or slaves. Why are they doing that? Probably not because that's what belly dancers are. There are a LOT of men who fantasize about having some harem girl slave. There are men who...well...let's just say they purchase belly dance performance videos for the same satisfaction most men go to an adult video store for. I actually read a review on one of them (since been removed) about the quality of one video for such purposes, and how Suhaila was the only woman worth watching. As he put it, "Let's face it, that's all these videos are good for." I was insulted, as were a number of people. The review was removed as inappropriate. So, while a belly dancer may not be a pet of any kind, there are enough people who have the exotic fantasy of it. After all, I know a LOT of women who get into role play in the bedroom, shall we say, that have "belly dancer" costumes so they can play a harem girl slave in their intimate role playing. So, yeah, I think it's just a cute play on something that goes much deeper. In this case, it's very much a reflection of an image from the modern world.

Okay, the belly dancer as a terrorist, I thought that was kind of funny. I mean, seriously? In medieval Europe? It would have made more sense if the clip after it came first, since then it kind of goes to the story of it all. I don't know. Maybe I'm just not offended by it because I've come to expect jokes like this from web comics. I've actually seen FAR worse on the web comics my ex used to read. And taken in context with the comic before it, that explains WHY the belly dancer came back with the crusade group...so she could kill him. I don't know, I thought it was kind of cute. Yes, some may think that all belly dancers are terrorists as a result, but it's unlikely. It's just a comic.

The third clip of the dancer returning with a crusader, that didn't bug me either. No one said he bought her or anything. Without any back story, it's hard to really know. However, I can think of MUCH more offensive things he could have brought home from the crusades! And it's a cute play on the vacation thing of "and all you brought me was this dumb souvenir?" I thought it was pretty cute.

The nightclub dancer... I hate to say it, but there's a point in all of that. Most nightclub dancers dressed the way they do on stage would look like a "streetwalker" if they wore the same thing out in public. No, it's not a belly dancer, but it kind of is a valid point that what looks like a showgirl on stage looks like a hooker on the street. Actually, most of the "streetwalkers" I've seen around here are dressed in a much more covering fashion than your average showgirl.

Finally, "Turkey", I just don't get it. It's not offensive, but as my boyfriend said, "She's kind of scary looking. What's that got to do with Turkey?" I'm inclined to agree.

In the end, it just comes down to the fact that these are comics. They're meant to be kind of offensive. They're meant to be a play on the fantasies of the world around them, or inappropriate jokes. The funny thing is if a big-time comedian were to make some crack about having a belly dancer as an exotic pet, or about belly dancers turning out to be an Al Qaeda hit squad, most people would laugh. Most people realize that the things comedians say aren't entirely true and in some cases are entirely made up just to get a laugh. I mean, seriously, there's a comedian that has a ventriloquist dummy of a failed terrorist suicide bomber named Achmed. Comedians are known for playing off of every racial stereotype, every inappropriate comment on careers, pretty much anything that would sell. The people who write comics are doing exactly the same thing. They're not trying to insult or objectify us. However, they're mirroring ideas and concepts from the real world, or in some cases (as the belly dancer terrorist), saying something REALLY inappropriate to try and get a laugh. I've never met a person to take any real stock in what a comic's message is, unless it's a serious one. It's just meant to be lighthearted humor. Sure it paints a picture of us as belly dancers. However, if I was to count all the artists who have ever insulted me as a anti-war activist, organic food junkie, Pagan, feminist, goth, belly dancer, (former) Army wife, mother, homeschooling mom, role player, video gamer, breastfeeding momma, Irish girl, former Catholic school girl, and everything else...? Pretty much every aspect of my life has been made fun of by comedians or comic strips, so if I took insult at all of it because it made me look bad... I'd always be insulted by everything!

Honestly? Are they portraying a positive image of belly dancers? No. Are they convincing the public that we're nothing more than what's portrayed? I don't believe they're doing that either.

I still vote for this site:
www.hasani.net.phtemp.com/hafjokes.html

Belly dancing... it's not just for earthlings anymore!