Jezebel on "Time' cover: A Visual Introduction to an Afghan Woman's Mutilation

This week Jezebel ran a story on Aisha, who was legally mutilated in Asghanastan when a judge sentenced her to have her nose and ear cut off for running away from the abusive husband to whom she was sold by her father at age ten.

       And no, I haven’t even given the plot away.

       A Visual Introduction to an Afghan Woman's Mutilation is an interesting analysis of Time’s decision to put Aisha on the cover, which I think was a brilliant one. If we think the imagery is disturbing, imagine living with the threat of it happening to you. Author Irin Carmon does a great job explaining and analyzing the situation in Afghanistan and discussing both the progress and heinous treatment of women there. We half-hear about Afghanistan on the news every day: Aisha’s picture demands that we actually listen.

       There are a lot of reasons it’s easy for Americans to be insulated from much of the world, including our relative wealth (well, some Ameicans are still wealthy, I hear), geographic isolation and having our own economic crises to deal with. Good for Time for doing something so bold and unexpected to shake us into looking at the lives of these women. It’s a hard story to read but I’m grateful that they put her face in my face.