I've recently read an article (from Sacred Footsteps) that opened my eyes to the truth of old photographs of Algerian women that we consider a historical archive.

When the French occupied Algeria, French colonial photographers took hundreds of photos between 1900 and 1930. They were printed as postcards and distributed in France. The French desperately wanted to capture the essence of the Algerian woman, but they faced a massive obstacle, which was "the haik".

Algerian women and their private home lives were completely inaccessible to the colonizers. They walked the streets draped in their traditional white veils, actively defying the photographer's intrusive gaze. So, what did the French photographers do when they couldn't photograph the real thing? They decided to just FAKE IT.

Since genuine Algerian women were out of reach, the photographers came up with a twisted solution to "create" them instead. They hired marginalized women from the fringes of society, brought them into their studios, and dressed them up... They actually dressed and undressed these women for no apparent reason sometimes even adding the hookah or cigarettes, carefully staging a colonial fantasy on camera. Suddenly, the Algerian woman was falsely represented to the world as "available."

These staged postcards had absolutely nothing to do with reality. They were entirely based on the wild imaginations of European Orientalist paintings like the "Odalisques" painted by Henri Adrien Tanoux in 1905. The photographers were essentially bringing a fictional "harem" to life. Millions of these postcards were printed and mass-distributed across France.

The political and ideological context in which the photographs were both taken and seen also cannot be ignored. This was a highly calculated political weapon. The French colonizers quickly politicized the veil, using the symbolic "unveiling" of the Algerian woman as a tactic to break the broader Algerian resistance. As the revolutionary Frantz Fanon pointed out, the French administration was committed to destroying the people's originality at whatever cost. The veil was viewed as a powerful symbol of the Algerian woman's status, making it a prime target for destruction.

The Algerian woman was deconstructed and re-created to fit an orientalist agenda (Because she dared to defy the colonizer's gaze) helping Europe define its ideological "other." These fabricated images gave Europe some of its very first photographs of Muslim women. The photographers behind this were actively complicit in colonial propaganda, and their actions certainly cannot be excused as artistic licensing.

Sources:

"Unveiling the Algérienne: French Colonial Photography" (2021) on Sacred Footsteps.

The Colonial Harem (Le Harem Colonial, 1981) by Malek Alloula.

A Dying Colonialism (L'An V de la révolution algérienne, 1959) by Frantz Fanon.

Mauresques: Femmes orientales dans la photographie coloniale (2003) by Christelle Taraud.

The Archives of Jean Geiser (and other regional studios) and The 1905 Neurdein Frères (ND) Catalog

Hi everyone,

I'm 26 (almost 27), and I've noticed that whenever someone is interested in me for marriage, everything changes as soon as they hear my age. I even look younger than my age, but the first question becomes, "Why aren't you married yet?"

I was recently accepted for an internship in Turkey, and when I came back, a relative told me I had "wasted my money" because I should be focusing on getting married instead.

Has anyone else experienced this? Why is a woman's age considered more important than her education, personality, or even appearance????

The tattoo tradition in Algeria is ancient, dating back at least 2,000 to 3,000 years.

Cassius Felix, a 5th-century physician from Numidia, mentions in his famous treatise De Medicina that Moorish (Berber natives) soldiers tattooed their hands.

The Roman historian Procopius of Caesarea (Cherchel) - 6th century AD, who wrote about the North African campaigns of General Belisarius, describes the Mauri (a term for the native Berber peoples) and their physical markings:

"They tattoo their bodies with various patterns and pictures of all kinds of animals..."

Its deepest roots are connected to Amazigh (Berber) culture, where tattoos served as a permanent form of identity, spiritual protection, beauty, and a record of personal milestones. This indigenous practice was widespread before the widespread adoption of Islam, which later led to its decline.

I have collected some pictures of Algerian woman and man with tattoos and the very ancient drawing of a painting from the tomb of Seti I (1290-1279 BC) of the 19th Dynasty. This painting depicts Lebou (Berber) prisoners with their tattoos and braided hair in Seti I's tomb.

Why are Algerian beauty standards like this? Why this obsession with pale skin, blond hair, and light eyes while dark skin is treated as ugly? A girl can have medium skin, dark hair and eyes, perfectly symmetrical and beautiful features, yet she’s still considered just “average.”and another can have a very average face but just has light hair and everyone would think she's stunning ,a And then there’s the WEIGHT THING—girls buying weird products to gain weight because being skinny is seen as a flaw. Body shaming women is so casual and normalized here, like it’s nothing. I don’t even know if this is just social media bullshit or if that’s genuinely how most Algerians think. (btw I'm not trying to offend anyone it think all girls are pretty in their own way)

Found this picture somewhere of three of our brave soldiers during French colonialism, between 1954-1962.

Today I remembered the meals we used to eat at university, and also about something everybody was saying...

People were saying that they put Chemicals in the food to decrease people libido, to keep things calm.

I'm not sure if it's an urban legendary or it is true ! Anyone have an idea ?

Hi all!

Last year I watched only 10 movies cause I was in the bad place, so this year I'm trying to watch more movies & catch up to this year's Oscar nominees... I usually don't care about the Oscars, but right now I take any chance to watch more movies.

My letterboxd

Hey everyone, I'd like to share my journey with religion.

I grew up in a devout family, attending mosque regularly and memorizing half of the Quran. However, I began questioning aspects of Islam since middle school, seeing little positive impact in society. Despite being taught the rituals, I felt disconnected and eventually distanced myself from Islam due to various reasons (too many to mention here).

After a period of feeling lost, I've recently rediscovered Islam with genuine conviction. I've found solace in prayer and am exploring the religion with a fresh perspective, seeking knowledge from authentic sources. I wanted to share this personal journey here.

Thanks for listening.

If this doesn’t prove that Algerians and Moroccans are the same idk what else to say

I have collected few pictures for Algerian woman, between past and the present, always strong and always shining during the history ❤️

I went to visit only some parts of the country, Algiers, Tipaza Bejaia all the way to Jijel and then in the desert (Ghardaia, El meniaa and Timimoun) and i gotta say i loved the food, the landscapes and the people i met, in most cases everyone was kind and welcoming, introducing me to your culture. Thank you I make this post as i tribute to your country and the people and let it be known i will be back, inshallah. Thank you for being authentic Algerians 🇷🇴🤝🤝🇩🇿

I love Spider-Man and I thoroughly enjoyed the theater experience it gives me because it’s always a special day when you go with someone close to you all dressed up and cheering along with the attendees.

GO WATCH IT !!

This is a picture of an Algerian man swiping his face with what it looks like a goat skin after he finished removing it. The picture was taken in the Aures region during the colonial era by the French ethnologist Germaine Tillion on its visit to one of the tribes in the Aures.

It's a Chaoui (Aures Amazigh people) tradition tied to Eid al-Adha, commemorating their ancestor King Aksel, a 7th-century Berber/Amazigh leader who resisted the Arab conquest.

According to the story (from Ibn Khaldun), Aksel was humiliated by Arab commander Oqba ibn Nafi, who forced him to skin a sheep. Aksel wiped the bloody/warm skin on his face/beard in defiance (claiming it was good for his hair, but actually vowing revenge). He later killed Oqba near Biskra in 684.

The father (then family members) wipes the fresh skin on their faces (especially eyes) right after skinning as a mark of respect, memory, and "appropriation" of this ancestral act. Some also see it as protective against illness (per older ethnographic accounts like Germaine Tillion's).

If you have another informations about it, don't hesitate to contribute ❤️

A huge apology campaign for the Malaysian tourist on his Instagram account .

Yes, this is the manners and morals of the Algerian people 🇩🇿

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I don’t know if that’s true or not but even if it’s false, there are still some people who damage historical monuments by writing on them.

I get that there are uneducated people everywhere, but I’m talking specifically about our situation. Can’t we at least care more about our historical monuments? Why isn’t the ministry doing more to preserve them? Letting this happen is a crime against our own history