Sexy Arab Ads
I often write that Muslims live rather boring lives, with no beer, boobs, or barbecues. Add the prohibition against gambling and one can understand why there are no such things as Muslim cruises.
So it pleases me to see some folks in Muslim countries engaging in sexy advertising. City Mall in Beirut had this provocative ad on the front page of a Lebanese newspaper a while back. The idea was to allay shoppers' fears about bombs; here we see a great looking babe making sure that the guy with the bulge in his pants is not carrying a stick of dynamite.
Perhaps because this section of Beirut is heavily Christian they can get away with such un-Islamic advertising. It could also be due to the heavy influx of European visitors that helps make the city more cosmopolitan. What helps of course, is that the city is not filled with too many Saudis, Kuwaitis, and visitors from other Gulf states (who the Lebanese like to call "Gulfies").
If I plopped you down in the center of the mall you would be hard put to tell that it wasn't a typical American mall. Shoppers wearing American-style clothing dart in and out of Dior, Timberland, Springfield, Starbucks, and other well-known retail shops. And yes, the women wear tight jeans and skinny tank tops.
It may surprise you to learn that Beirut was listed as one of the ten liveliest cities in the world by Lonely Planet in 2009 (1).
Here's a fun video of a Freeze Flash mob in City Mall. On 13 Apr 2008 at exactly 5:00 p.m. about 200 hundred Lebanese swarmed the mall and froze for exactly five minutes.
Although kissing in public is illegal in Lebanon, one couple locked lips for the full 5 minutes.
There are two kinds of Arabs in the Levant: those lucky enough to have adopted western values and therefore are able to live a life filled with joy and freedom and then there are Muslims.
ENDNOTES
(1):
Lonely Planet, Beirut Travel Information and Travel Guide
What Beirut is depends entirely on where you are. If you’re gazing at the beautifully reconstructed colonial relics and mosques of central Beirut’s Downtown, the city is a triumph of rejuvenation over disaster. If you’re in the young, vibrant neighbourhoods of Gemmayzeh or Achrafiye, Beirut is about living for the moment: partying, eating and drinking as if there’s no tomorrow. If you’re standing in the shadow of buildings still peppered with bullet holes, or walking the Green Line with an elderly resident, it’s a city of bitter memories and a dark past. If you’re with Beirut’s Armenians, Beirut is about salvation; if you’re with its handful of Jews, it’s about hiding your true identity. Here you’ll find the freest gay scene in the Arab Middle East, yet homosexuality is still illegal. If you’re in one of Beirut’s southern refugee camps, Beirut is about sorrow and displacement; other southern districts are considered a base for paramilitary operations and south Beirut is home to infamous Hezbollah secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah. For some, it’s a city of fear; for others, freedom.
