Seems like every time you turn around, you're reading something about the failure of Arab civilization, how Arabs can't produce anything competitive in global markets, and all that. Well not any more.
Elaph, citing US magazine, reports that Lebanese pop tart Elissa has decisively shattered that particular myth. See, Elissa showed up at the World Music Awards wearing the same dress as Jennifer Lopez. The same dress! Talk about a controlled experiment! So US magazine ran pictures of the two singers side by side, and asked readers to vote on "Who is more beautiful?" Elissa shocked the world by roundly beating J. Lo - 67% to 33%!
Hey, it would be nice to be competitive in, say, business or education or science or intellectual achievement or freedom or something... rather than in the amount of, um, beauty spilling out of a glitzy Michael Kors gown. But next time a UN Human Development Report comes out, or a study on economic competitiveness, or the Freedom House rankings, just remember... they'll always have the World Music Awards.
Hillarious. Hey, at least its a start for US Weekly. At least she isn't described as the unique non-threatening, non-opressed, Arab woman. Take that JLo.
Posted by: Faisal | September 19, 2005 at 06:58 PM
Elissa is a) smiling and b) has big beauties. Elissa 2, J-Lo 0. (To be fair, that's a terrible picture of J-Lo.)
Posted by: Schwa-Schwa | September 20, 2005 at 08:41 AM
We'll also always have orientalism, exoticism, and objectification of women.
*sigh*
Posted by: Shaula Evans | September 27, 2005 at 11:08 PM
I think it is only because JLo is slouching. If they were both standing in the same position maybe it would not be so skewed.
Posted by: Anna in Cairo | September 28, 2005 at 04:45 AM