Her Story ... Feminist & Activist
VI. Two Magazines for the Multi-faceted Egyptian Woman
Milestones:
Death of Princess Chevikar
DS attains full control of La Femme Nouvelle and Bin Al Nil
Following the death of Princess Chevikar, and due to her success at Bint al-Nil, Doria was able to acquire full responsibility for La Femme Nouvelle. Now Doria was in control of two important publications, targeting a large proportion of the Egyptian women.
These two publications offer a glimpse into Doria’s twin interests and the two facets of her make-up; the aesthetic on the one side, with La Femme Nouvelle, and the activist on the other with Bint al-Nil. With La Femme Nouvelle, Doria was talking to a Western (as well as a Western-educated Egyptian) audience in order to reveal who the real Egyptian woman was. She spoke their language and was able to interpret Egypt and its beauty for this audience. This voice spoke of culture and beauty in order to convey the magnificence of Egypt and her heritage. On the other hand, Bint al-Nil spoke to Egyptian middle class women, with an aim of awakening in them a desire to attain equal rights in a society that traditionally saw women placed in a secondary role to men. This new woman was modern, strident, educated, all the while conscious and solicitous of the country’s long history and tradition.
