Our thriving lenswoman
By FT Corresponding
“Oh, look! Api’s much awaited wedding album is here!”
“Wow! Just look at this shot. How beautifully the photographer has captured the subdued happiness on the bride’s face. I am most definitely hiring him for my wedding next month.”
“She! Not he.”
This correction from my dear friend had me stumped last week when I visited her to chat. For surely, I thought she is just pulling my leg. Living in Malir, belonging to conservative and humble families, and no matter how liberal sounding some of them seemed, we knew where their boundaries are drawn regarding gender equality. But apparently, I was in for some much-needed awakening.
Uswa Aziz, in her mid-twenties, decided to indulge her love for photography by joining a professional team from her locality. Since last year, she has only progressed and has become as proficient as any other expert from this field.
Of course, for some her being a photographer is not an achievement. It isn’t as harrowing a task as mountain climbing or as brainy a job as that of a nuclear scientist, they say. But it is.
It is infinitely difficult for women here to pursue their dreams and passions, thanks to our deeply patriarchal society that infantilizes women, encourages an image of demure domestic goddesses, and criticizes and patronizes women every step of the way by both men and women.
Wedding photography is a demanding job with late hours. Uswa has managed to surpass all such hurdles, be it from a misogynist societal narrative or from an equally frustrating male dominated work space. She belongs to the crop of few women in our society who made breakthroughs when they had no one from their immediate surroundings as role models.
Uswa gives the credit for all her achievements and her happiness to the support of her family. She has managed to make this workable and respectable because now many girls from her area have started following in her footsteps.
