A quick point of order before we get started:
.
None of us here (myself included) know Asma’s exact relationship with her faith. We don’t know how much homophobia she’s internalized, if any. We don’t know how conservative her Muslim family or peers are, if at all. We don’t know whether or not her resistance to “temptation” or focus on “setting goals” is a direct result of her faith. It may yet turn out that Asma was, indeed, raised stiflingly conservative. But presuming this without any real information besides “she’s kind of uptight and wears a hijab” is poor conjecture based on ignorance.
.
When you presume a hijabi woman must’ve been raised in a repressed, fundamentalist, homophobic environment, you are stereotyping them. You’re foreclosing in your own mind the possible relationships Muslims, and Muslim women in particular, can have with their faith and with their clothing. This mode of thinking has made some readers uncomfortable, and I’d like it to stop.
.
I’d like to sincerely commend the people yesterday who challenged this mode of thinking and introduced nuance into the conversation. To those of you who don’t have firsthand experience of Islam but still wanted wanted to turn the discourse tide, I will also say that Willis currently has employed a Muslim sensitivity reader, so you don’t necessarily gotta Google stuff to back up your point anymore. Those points have been backed up!
.
I’m glad “don’t stereotype hijabis” is something I only have to direct at a small handful of weirdos. But it’s important that small handful of weirdos know that this is not permissible.
.
Don’t be a jerk. Thank you for your attention in this matter.
I remember when Willis was publicly asking for opinions on if it’d be acceptable to portray Asma taking off her hijab in private, and I’m glad to learn that something came of it.
It’s interesting to see Asma decide to scoot around where her interpersonal boundaries lie, and then scoot them right back where they were before the second a pretty girl compliments her and reminds her “oh right, I’m not prepared for that!”
.
also damn Alice you’ve really got your arm shoved right into billifer’ bosom huh
@thag well she did tell ruth “i’m gonna put my cooch on her cooch” lol
Thag Simmons
1. That was Alice, not Jennifer.
&nsbp;
2. The thing I am uncertain about is if Jennifer wants/wanted to be in a formal romantic relationship. Not whether Jennifer wanted to fuck Alice, because she definitely did.
Honestly I don’t think Jen does. I know she’s being played up as oblivious to Alice’s desires but this also feels a lot like the early Walky and Lucy friendship, even though that’s fizzled out sadly, Walky really valued Lucy as a friend first and I think that’s where Jen’s head is at. She really wants Alice to stay her friend this time, Even back during their first dramatic meeting Jen wanted Alice’s friendship. I think Asma has all the space she can handle to make a move here. I’m rooting for her.
is it fumbling if she hasn’t done anything yet ? but feels like she’d either have lingering feelings for ruth if not go with someone brand new as opposed to trying more relationship stuff with alice since she might enjoy just ebeing friends again and not wanting to risk it
She is destined to fumble. Preordained. It is written in the signs and oracles: Billie shall surely fumble this baddie. Haruspex after haruspex examines the entrails and sigh in disgust at her assured, inevitable total inability to get with the absolute babe that is Alice.
I mean, not gonna lie, but I’m not feeling Jennifer/Alice.
I think Alice is feeling it – or was – but right now I think Jenn might just want a friend who doesn’t immediately bail on her when she isn’t 100% optimal (pointed glance at Raidah).
If I kept my hair hidden all the time, no way would it be so shiny and well-kempt. I need the spectre of social judgment to wash/condition all of it. Who is this person who is intrinsically motivated to keep pretty hair?
Her hair is constantly protected from the sun! And presumably keeping it covered would also keep it hydrated? lots of reasons to have lovely hair under there.
But also I think the way her bangs are a lil messy kinda speaks to her hair being a bit rustled about by being covered, which I think is cute
i know it’s sort of a joke but let me tell you as a hijabi i’m very particular about how my hair looks, even if few people see it, mostly because i want to like it when i see it
could’ve been a worse reaction idk if it was from a story or something that happened coincidentally irl but i vaguely remember one or two instances of someone getting their haircomplimented and it being trimmed/a diff style the next day, teens are fickle after all lol
I also interpreted this as a thought based on Becky’s earlier question. From the responses here I am now doubting that. I am also sure this isn’t the first time that there have been panels illustrating a character’s thoughts?
Haz
Nm. Wack’d explained that there are well established thought sequences already. So, I also hope Alice doesn’t take that the wrong way.
it was off in her own room when she woke up in the morning, other than a night specific/sleepover hijab or cap like what lucy andj acob uses i imagine it prolly wouldn’t be something she’d wear 24/7
Hm.
Ken: background character easily pushed around
Jennifer: shallow and social status obsessed
Alice: “not a thought going on behind those eyes of hers”, loud gossip
Faz: a little creep
Arnold: alas not playing any role in this strip. We miss you, Shortpacked!Arnold
I award full points for not using any model minority Asian stereotypes in DOA for the rest of the cast. woot.
Taffy
Who the fuck is Ken?
keithcurtis
Ken was a Shortpacked employee nearer the end of the run.
deliverything
@Taffy:
Often compared to Ryu, he’s more of a close-range fighter despite their similarities. Hope that helps.
I had the same thought at first, because of the suddenness of the change in the last panel — there’s no indication of Asma putting her hijab back on between panels, which made the transition feel more like imaginary/dream logic, but I wasn’t sure because the panels otherwise felt realistic.
I wonder if including some physical follow-through from the off-screen action in the last panel would help this read more clearly while keeping the same flow/punchline.
i would totally give this strip a try but trying to get the metallica to time up properly to dialogue would probably be difficult
adding it to the to-do list anyway (still gotta finish a few things that’ve been in my draft folder the past few months (been too busy at work to finish any dubs waaaugh))
115 thoughts on “Pretty”
Wack'd (Mod, Click Name for Rules)
A quick point of order before we get started:
.
None of us here (myself included) know Asma’s exact relationship with her faith. We don’t know how much homophobia she’s internalized, if any. We don’t know how conservative her Muslim family or peers are, if at all. We don’t know whether or not her resistance to “temptation” or focus on “setting goals” is a direct result of her faith. It may yet turn out that Asma was, indeed, raised stiflingly conservative. But presuming this without any real information besides “she’s kind of uptight and wears a hijab” is poor conjecture based on ignorance.
.
When you presume a hijabi woman must’ve been raised in a repressed, fundamentalist, homophobic environment, you are stereotyping them. You’re foreclosing in your own mind the possible relationships Muslims, and Muslim women in particular, can have with their faith and with their clothing. This mode of thinking has made some readers uncomfortable, and I’d like it to stop.
.
I’d like to sincerely commend the people yesterday who challenged this mode of thinking and introduced nuance into the conversation. To those of you who don’t have firsthand experience of Islam but still wanted wanted to turn the discourse tide, I will also say that Willis currently has employed a Muslim sensitivity reader, so you don’t necessarily gotta Google stuff to back up your point anymore. Those points have been backed up!
.
I’m glad “don’t stereotype hijabis” is something I only have to direct at a small handful of weirdos. But it’s important that small handful of weirdos know that this is not permissible.
.
Don’t be a jerk. Thank you for your attention in this matter.
clif
Well, regardless of any other factors, this is cute.
S.R.
Yeah, that reads to me as “awkward about crush thinking she’s pretty”, probably just because crush rather than because Oh No Homosexuality.
Nik
I remember when Willis was publicly asking for opinions on if it’d be acceptable to portray Asma taking off her hijab in private, and I’m glad to learn that something came of it.
Lokitsu
I think we need to discuss how much Asma looks like Susie Derkins <3
YourCousinJay
honestly appreciate this being the first comment
redcaela
Going in for the kill, doing it for the thrill ~
IntangibleMatter
I mean it is, but I also understand why she put it back on so quickly.
(but we saw that smile, Asma. We all saw it. I believe in you, shoot your shot.)
QueenofSodor
It’s interesting to see Asma decide to scoot around where her interpersonal boundaries lie, and then scoot them right back where they were before the second a pretty girl compliments her and reminds her “oh right, I’m not prepared for that!”
.
also damn Alice you’ve really got your arm shoved right into billifer’ bosom huh
jabbingQuirker
ok alice, go sit next to asma, let me take your place.
Amós Batista
I’m moved by your sacrifice. *shredding tears of emotion* 😭
Sirksome
Billie’s boob putting in a lot of the heavy lifting for her in this scene.
Amara
Well of course that’s where her hand goes to rest. It’s such a familiar location, after all.
flamefried
alice is right
Ty34er
I think Billie is going to lose a lesbian fight she didn’t know she was in because she’s being called Jennifer right now.
IntangibleMatter
I hope Billie is going to lose this lesbian fight she doesn’t know she’s in because she;s being called Jennifer right now.
I have no ulterior motives beyond how cute Alice and Asma would be as a couple.
Tequila Mockingbird
you’re in good company because i have the exact same ulterior motives.
Sajuuk-Khar
The monkey’s paw curls. The curse is cast. Yet rejoice, for Billie will indeed fumble again.
Thag Simmons
Does Jennifer actually want to date Alice like that? Is that how she feels about her?
Like, I feel confident saying that Alice wanted to, but she said she wanted to be more than friends, I don’t know how Jennifer would feel about that.
anon
@thag well she did tell ruth “i’m gonna put my cooch on her cooch” lol
Thag Simmons
1. That was Alice, not Jennifer.
&nsbp;
2. The thing I am uncertain about is if Jennifer wants/wanted to be in a formal romantic relationship. Not whether Jennifer wanted to fuck Alice, because she definitely did.
Sirksome
Honestly I don’t think Jen does. I know she’s being played up as oblivious to Alice’s desires but this also feels a lot like the early Walky and Lucy friendship, even though that’s fizzled out sadly, Walky really valued Lucy as a friend first and I think that’s where Jen’s head is at. She really wants Alice to stay her friend this time, Even back during their first dramatic meeting Jen wanted Alice’s friendship. I think Asma has all the space she can handle to make a move here. I’m rooting for her.
Rosicrucian
Billie the Alpha Bongo has Yet Again Fumbled a Baddie.
anon
is it fumbling if she hasn’t done anything yet ? but feels like she’d either have lingering feelings for ruth if not go with someone brand new as opposed to trying more relationship stuff with alice since she might enjoy just ebeing friends again and not wanting to risk it
Sajuuk-Khar
She is destined to fumble. Preordained. It is written in the signs and oracles: Billie shall surely fumble this baddie. Haruspex after haruspex examines the entrails and sigh in disgust at her assured, inevitable total inability to get with the absolute babe that is Alice.
Rose By Any Other Name
I mean, not gonna lie, but I’m not feeling Jennifer/Alice.
I think Alice is feeling it – or was – but right now I think Jenn might just want a friend who doesn’t immediately bail on her when she isn’t 100% optimal (pointed glance at Raidah).
Dot
This ship officially has the Dot seal of approval
Leorale
If I kept my hair hidden all the time, no way would it be so shiny and well-kempt. I need the spectre of social judgment to wash/condition all of it. Who is this person who is intrinsically motivated to keep pretty hair?
Rosicrucian
If Asma is fully observant, and so far it certainly seems like she is, there is a whole hygeine routine involved in being a Muslim woman.
Foxtastic
Her hair is constantly protected from the sun! And presumably keeping it covered would also keep it hydrated? lots of reasons to have lovely hair under there.
But also I think the way her bangs are a lil messy kinda speaks to her hair being a bit rustled about by being covered, which I think is cute
eh, whatever
It’s dark in that room. Alice is imagining half of what she thinks she’s seeing.
lur
i know it’s sort of a joke but let me tell you as a hijabi i’m very particular about how my hair looks, even if few people see it, mostly because i want to like it when i see it
Stormtide Leviathan
I hope alice doesn’t take away from that reaction that asma hates her lol…
anon
could’ve been a worse reaction idk if it was from a story or something that happened coincidentally irl but i vaguely remember one or two instances of someone getting their haircomplimented and it being trimmed/a diff style the next day, teens are fickle after all lol
Newlland(Henryvolt)
Could have sworn that was in her head…then again I’m not seeing any thought bubbles.
Haz
I also interpreted this as a thought based on Becky’s earlier question. From the responses here I am now doubting that. I am also sure this isn’t the first time that there have been panels illustrating a character’s thoughts?
Haz
Nm. Wack’d explained that there are well established thought sequences already. So, I also hope Alice doesn’t take that the wrong way.
Golden Yak
Getting a very short mixed message.
AbelUndercity
Possibly the shortest mixed message ever.
Wintermute
Yno. Nes. Reply hazy, ask again later.
Wack'd (Mod, Click Name for Rules)
i don’t know. can you repeat the question
Tequila Mockingbird
YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME NOW, AND YOU’RE NOT SO BIG!
Andrusi
Error reading from drive A:
Jon
###OUT OF CHEESE ERROR – REDO FROM START###
Joe Moose
To be fair, Asma does look pretty without her headdress.
Also, is this the first time we’ve seen her with it off?
anon
it was off in her own room when she woke up in the morning, other than a night specific/sleepover hijab or cap like what lucy andj acob uses i imagine it prolly wouldn’t be something she’d wear 24/7
AMagicalDuck
No there’s been a couple other times. This was the first https://www.dumbingofage.com/comic/breakofdawn/
Sajuuk-Khar
Asma: and another thing. I’m not owned. Don’t let Daisy put in the stupid goddamn newspaper that I got owned.
anon
oof awkward, hope alice isn’t too offended by that versus reading this as shyiness
Taffy
Really wouldn’t worry too much about Alice. There’s not a thought going on behind those eyes of hers.
km
Hm.
Ken: background character easily pushed around
Jennifer: shallow and social status obsessed
Alice: “not a thought going on behind those eyes of hers”, loud gossip
Faz: a little creep
Arnold: alas not playing any role in this strip. We miss you, Shortpacked!Arnold
I award full points for not using any model minority Asian stereotypes in DOA for the rest of the cast. woot.
Taffy
Who the fuck is Ken?
keithcurtis
Ken was a Shortpacked employee nearer the end of the run.
deliverything
@Taffy:
Often compared to Ryu, he’s more of a close-range fighter despite their similarities. Hope that helps.
zee
Eh, I mean she was asking permission, she shouldn’t really be offended. Rather I hope she reads this as shyness and not that she just offended asma
Newlland(Henryvolt)
Did she imagine that?
Wack'd (Mod, Click Name for Rules)
the comic has a very well-established visual language for dealing with fantasy sequences.
Mira
I had the same thought at first, because of the suddenness of the change in the last panel — there’s no indication of Asma putting her hijab back on between panels, which made the transition feel more like imaginary/dream logic, but I wasn’t sure because the panels otherwise felt realistic.
I wonder if including some physical follow-through from the off-screen action in the last panel would help this read more clearly while keeping the same flow/punchline.
Taffy
I wonder what kind of stews Asma likes to eat on purpose.
Pocky
Its at times like this I would love to see this story animate. Just for that line delivery lol
QueenofSodor
i would totally give this strip a try but trying to get the metallica to time up properly to dialogue would probably be difficult
adding it to the to-do list anyway (still gotta finish a few things that’ve been in my draft folder the past few months (been too busy at work to finish any dubs waaaugh))
RassilonTDavros
Whoever made the karaoke backing track accidentally set their DAW to 123 beats per Namekian minute.
Qube
yesn’t
Poskie
the lustful gazes are coming from inside the house
Reaver
Did..did Jennifer get tagged just cuz her boob is in frame-
Wack'd (Mod, Click Name for Rules)
yeah if any part of a person is physically evident in panel they get tagged
John Campbell
Ryan got tagged for his blood once.
Amós Batista
… and Mike for your spirit.
Arianod
Nyes
Acher4
Ok, now the “yno” should be an actual word.
Don’t look at me, i’m not making the rules. :P
Wack'd (Mod, Click Name for Rules)