Image obtained from Saudi Eve's blog
The increase of the female blogosphere in Saudi Arabia has created a new culture of women active in expressing their viewpoints and sharing ideas.
Saudi Jeans is a male blogger who encourages female friends to post on his blog. When asked in a recent email interview about his perception of blogging in Saudi Arabia, he said,
" I find women's blogging in Saudi Arabia interesting because I think it has given them a chance to express themselves and show their colors to the world in a manner that is probably unimaginable in real life in our stifling society. With few opportunities open to them on the ground, the internet has offered a new space where they can shine while at the same time preserve a certain amount of privacy and protection from the harsh eyes of a conservative social scene."
Saudi Bridget Jones is recently back in Saudi Arabia after studying abroad in the states and is finding it very hard to cope, both with being back in society and being under her mother’s watchful eye. She uses her blog mainly to vent her frustrations including having to constantly wait for the driver to take her places, and her mother’s constant not-so-subtle hints that she find someone to marry. She describes the intent of her blog:
"I am a Saudi woman back to Saudi Arabia after being away for so long.. I lived abroad a great deal of my life, now I am back and feel trapped and frustrated. I never fitted in before.. let's see if I am able to fit in now or not. This diary is started to open a new page in my life my new journey through my mind, heart, and soul, and my path of an independent woman in my 30's to find true love in a world dominated by men and people who think of any woman after the age of 25 as a spinster. Here you will see my laughter, frustrations, and my tears at the end of the day."
Blogging has not only increased expression among Saudi women, but some bloggers assert that blogging has given them an impetus to express their views in society. Blogger Ubergirl87 explained in a recent email interview,
"I feel as though I have now started to be more open to the society about my political views. For example, most people here are conservatives, and think gay people should be punished. Three years ago, when I first started blogging, I would have stayed quiet in a conversation about how best to punish homosexuals, and then went home and blogged about human rights. Recently, however, I find that I am voicing my opinons on gay rights out in the open. Also, I am now openly describing myself as a "raging liberal." I don't think that society's becoming more open to different views, I think I've just grown up a bit and realized that I should not hide my thoughts and feeling, but rather express them. And I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of people I find who are agreeing completely with me on issues such as gay rights and religious tolerance. I think the conservatives have felt safe talking about their views and have been rather organized. Whilst liberals have felt like they had to stay under the radar and politely nod at what conservatives are saying. Liberals are just now realizing that they're not alone in their beliefs, and are slowly gaining strength in numbers. The operative word in the previous sentence being slowly."
Ubergirl87 describes her blog as a mixture of personal anecdotes and political views. Like many other Saudi female bloggers, she entered the Saudi blogosphere during her freshman year of college because she thought that the blogosphere needed more liberal voices.
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