Almutawakel was living in the United States at the time of the September 11 attacks , which led her to focus on perceptions , both positive and negative , of Arabs and Muslims . She engaged specifically with the Egyptian writer Nawal El Saadawi 's remark that " women who wore the '' hijab '' or '' niqab '' were the same as women who wore makeup in the sense that they all hid their true identities " , and sought to interpret Saadawi 's ideas through photography . Her " '' Mother , Daughter , Doll '' " ( 2010 ) series portrays a progression from Western clothing to the hijab and explores perceptions of women in particular . It includes photographs of " Fulla " dolls , a toy similar to Barbie dolls marketed to Muslim children . Almutawakel 's work also examines the ways Yemeni women have covered their bodies historically and in the present . Discussing her focus on clothing and the niqab , Almutawakel has said " I want to be careful not to fuel the stereotypical , widespread negative images most commonly portrayed about the hijab/veil in the Western media . Especially the notion that most , or all women who wear the hijab/veil , are weak , oppressed , ignorant , and backwards " . Another project depicts women dressed in men 's traditional clothing ; Almutawakel explains " men 's traditional clothing is very similar to women 's clothing — long , loose , modest and often with a head-covering . The focus in Western media is always on the way women are dressed so I wanted to challenge this idea . " She has worked as a photographer for the British Council , CARE , the Royal Netherlands Embassy , the French Cultural Centre , and the United Nations ; and also worked for the Yemeni embassy in Washington , D.C. as a consultant on cultural affairs and for the Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights , focusing on women 's issues
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Boushra Almutawakel