Nowadays, a lot of people feel like it's their place to decide how life is or should be for women, and that is never more apparent than when it comes to Arab women. Although it is important that the world is interested to learn about the problems these women face, those sweeping generalizations benefit no one, but are rather harmful for women in the Arab world, and seriously need to stop.
1. We're all in need of your emancipation
The West likes to think about us like we're in need of help to get freed from the oppression of men around us. To them, we're all forced into arranged marriages, are beaten by our horrible husbands, and, most importantly, are forced to wear the hijab. The truth, however, is that the Arab world is varied and has all sorts of people, and while some people undoubtedly suffer from these issues, not all Arab women are in these situations.
2. We're all uneducated/dependant on our husbands
Another popular opinion about Arab women is that we're all uneducated and have never gotten the opportunity to get a college education, and all of us stay home while our husbands struggle to make a living for us. This is so false, with Arab women becoming pioneers in whichever field they are interested in, and paving the way for more and more women from the Arab world as well as the West.
3. We're all vapid beauty queens
One of the most popular stereotypes about Arab women is that they go everywhere with full makeup on and have gone under the knife time and time again, when the fact is that the Arab world includes women who look like that, and others who have nothing to do with that stereotype. Besides, the idea that these factors make a woman less significant for her society is sexist and reductive, as looks can never dictate what a woman has to offer. So please, lose your "Arab women are plastic" stereotype and learn to see people for what they have to offer rather than what they look like.
4. We're all materialistic
This one's along the lines of the "plastic Arab woman", as apparently, all Arab women love money and aim to marry rich husbands in order to go shopping and live fancy. But, like any other part of the world, there are people who are like that, and there is an enormous majority that is nothing like this.