An Emirati Eye: Aida Al Busaidy On What It Means To Be A Woman

Celebrating International Women’s Month this month, the communication strategist and storyteller talks all things womanness

In last month’s article, I talked about the concept of beauty and how it has been historically and selectively used to define and personify women. The issue with that, is while all women are beautiful and possess special qualities inside and out, it is not the only thing that women are.

There’s so much more to say here, to expand on the topic of womanness beyond just the beauty element and to really explore its context and meaning. The month of March is one that is dedicated to women with International Women’s day and for many, Mother’s day is also celebrated.

Womanness – the fact of being a woman – is a defined term but there is so much more to who we are and what we bring to the table. It seems since the dawn of time, the subject of women has fascinated many to the point we have always been categorised to tick certain boxes.

In most cases, people tend to focus on the qualities of a woman and particularly about being too feminine (or not feminine enough). It is a subject of much debate and even the questions we ask women are so different to those we ask men. So I guess this is where I can insert a fun fact… Did you know that in the Quran, there is an entire Surah (chapter) that is called Women or the Arabic term Surat-An-Nisa and is the second longest Surah in the Holy Book?

“While ALL women are beautiful and possess special qualities inside and out, it is NOT the only thing that women are”

I use this fun fact because while an entire chapter has been dedicated to women, we tend to rely on pop culture to tell us what a woman is or should be. The verses in the Surah focus on protection, equality and equity; in addition they look at a women’s status within society.

We are equipped with so much power from these verses, and we live in a country that doesn’t define roles based on gender but on merit; isn’t this a lesson we can teach and share with the world? In many case studies or stories we hear, a woman is always a step, or many steps, behind.

Where do we go from here? We use our attributes, our nurturing nature and the laws and policies that help govern our roads to success and we take it forward.

In the past, when I’ve spoken at sessions, I never leave without asking the audience to do three things differently. Firstly, get to know three different people you have never met before. Secondly, share a skill-set you have with someone who might need it and lastly, connect them with the next person or company who might benefit. It’s important to mentor, assist and promote; help facilitate an opportunity.

We can all agree, women love to talk. Those conversations and conferences are great to bring us all together, but let’s have those tête-à-têtes and action hard talks and be the change we want to see and do in the world. Now that’s woman-ness.

Photography: Efraim Evidor. Styling: Imogene Legrand. Make-Up & Hair: Arina Zubakhina. Stylist’s Assistant: Janhvi Kohli.

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s March 2024 Issue.