Many factors go into consideration when one is in the process of identifying themselves. Factors such as race sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality, class status, age, religious affiliation, cognitive ability, political views, and physical abilities are some of the aspects that are taken into consideration in finding one’s identity. This paper will thus look into identity as a social concept and the role it plays in the relationship between gender and a nation.

Identity is a social construct in that one gets to learn about their identity through the interaction with others in the society such as the media, family, peers, and other institutions in the community. The main facets that make up identity such as social class, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation play a significant role in determining the kind of person that one turns out to be in the future (“Why Identity Matters – Critical Media Project”). It is thus clear that society is a critical factor in shaping the identity of a person.

After the 2001 September 11 attack on the united state, there were circulated images of Afghanistan women in the media during the war that the united states army was participating in the country. These images constructed the viewer as the paternalistic liberator of the Afghan women who were suffering in the war. These images in the media were successful in justifying the war that was taking place in the country while not showing the real motives behind it (Cloud, p.286). This portrayal of women in the media was successful in creating a social construct of how women in the country were vulnerable and thus creating an image in the eyes of the viewers. This, therefore, shows how identity is a social construct and that the society molds someone to the way they are.

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