Within the field of Middle East women's studies, many scholars have analyzed the veil in terms of opportunity and constraint, confinement and liberation, imposition and choice. Veiling has, for instance, freed young women from the constraints of patriarchal families and community social controls to enable them to move about in the public space, enter occupations that previously were off-limits to such young women, and even to join the military (albeit with sex segregation still intact). Scholars note that the veil has been a symbol of cultural identity, religious assertion, gender oppression, and sexual mystery. The book under review describes the extent of this versatility in the popular cultures and print materials of both East and West.