Modesty or travesty?: understanding the symbolic annihilation of women in Orthodox Jewish media

Abstract

The Jewish laws of tznius (also spelled tzniut), modesty, are observed in varying degrees by Orthodox Jewish women, most stringently by the ultra-Orthodox, also known as frum or Haredi, in the United States, Israel, and around the world. Over the past 15 years, tznius has evolved beyond just dress guidelines; it has transformed into an ultra-Orthodox ideology. The dominance of the tznius ideology became most apparent where it was completely invisible: ultra-Orthodox Jewish media, which either blur women’s photos or do not print them at all. The publishers cite a sensitivity to the laws of tznius, as directed by both their rabbinic oversight panels and their readership. This second rationale – eliminating visual representations of women in Haredi magazines to ensure alignment with the supposed communal modesty ideals and, therefore, maximize the publications’ profits – is the embodiment of Tuchman’s 1978 theory of symbolic annihilation of women. This study seeks to understand how Orthodox Jewish women perceive the impact of their symbolic annihilation (Tuchman, 1978) in their community’s media outlets on themselves and their children. The study also seeks to understand the evolution of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish media and the reasons offered for omitting women’s photos — namely, that it violates the Jewish laws of tznius, or modesty, which has morphed into an ultra-Orthodox ideology. Finally, it will explore the perspectives of Orthodox Jewish women who oppose this practice through a textual analysis of online discussions about a growing trend in women’s erasure: erasing women’s photos from ultra-Orthodox newspapers and magazines.