Dear Puck, welcome to the stereotypical sexist club

Photo credit: Geoana Hobeiche

I have written about this prior (here) - at the time it was through the lens of Vileda and Fairy. Plein Soleil played the same card as well (here). A sad sorry tale. Pity that a decade later, everything remains the same. Because yes, why would it change when women internalize the stereotype? Fairy, Vileda, Plein Soleil (and many other brands) walked so that Puck can run. But underneath it is the same, worrying, latent, mostly unrecognizable stereotype and sexism. A woman's place is in the kitchen. Hey, she can have all the career triumphs she wants as long as she is in the kitchen - cooking and knowing her place in the hierarchy. Truly, a very let down ad - especially that Puck falls under Arla, a Danish giant stemming from a country where gender equality is more advanced that most countries of the world.

Farrouj Al Shams takes "everyone" too literally

Farrouj Al Shams wants to know that "the sun brings everyone together". You know because Al Shams is the sun. Now if you did not get the message from the copy, try the assembled people on the table instead. Bar a veiled lady somewhere (to indicate plurality of religions), anyone who is anyone is there. The cool leather jacket clad son (with sunglasses to match), the cute granddaughter sitting next to - well, the cute - grandfather, the mother and father both young and looking adoringly at their daughter (interesting there seems to be many seasons on the table due to variations in clothing), and then there's - who is this a daughter, an unmarried funky aunt, a wannabe Marilyn or 80s Madonna? See? I did tell you they assembled the whole gang of stereotypical characters with a lot of food (no alcohol in sight though), and - a bit of an off-angled roasted chicken. So here we are, everyone is everyone.

On Saudi tourism, stereotyping and reality.

Two days ago I spoke about Saudi tourism... Maybe now is the time to speak again... Please check the "Messi/Messy" thing here. OK, so the idea of the ad is to get famous football player Messi as an ambassador to debunk Saudi "stereotypes". Saudi Arabia is not "just a desert". This is correct but I also have seen paved roads with the sand which was excavated thrown on the two sides of the streets. Again, yes, Saudi Arabia is not just a desert, but to get to the other parts requires being out of the classical sedentary areas.

Now, "nothing ever happens"? Sure there are concerts and events lead by Turki Al-Sheikh (according to his wikipedia he is is a Saudi adviser at the Royal Court under the rank of Minister and the current Chairman of General Authority for Entertainment). Major A-list stars have flocked to Saudi Arabia to do concerts, many other stars have been granted Saudi nationality and on it goes. How much of this trickles down to the normal/average Saudi is however open for debate.

Is it a "closed culture"? Ok, this is where it gets tricky. Stadiums have only very recently opened a section for "families" (as everything - restaurants etc, there are places for "singles" (i.e. men) and "families"), and yes women have been granted the right to drive also not long ago. May I however remind you of the case of Loujain Al-Hathloul who was jailed for three years for campaigning for women's rights to drive and who was only released very very shortly before women obtained their right to drive? Again, perhaps a lot happened since the last time I was in the kingdom in 2004 visiting a VIP client, but once more, no - society is not open. Let us not hide behind our fingers.

"Girls can't". OK, there is Sarah Attar who competed in the London 2012 edition, and there were others as well - notably Wajdan Shahrakhani the judo player who participated in the same edition. But get this, there was someone on X (formerly twitter) who described these women as "عاهرات الاولمبياد" (literally the Olympics sluts). Kind reminder - this was only 12 years ago and barely. Now, are you going to tell me a society goes from ultra-conservative to Liberal in this short span of time?

You can watch the film here. I still think though that what was shown in the film are the exceptions that prove the rule.

Neswen el Furn - when women appropriate (and beat) stereotypes

Please meet Neswen El Furn (here and here).... What's so special about it?

Well, just for you to know "neswen el furn" was an insult. Heck, I even heard a Lebanese minister of culture saying it when speaking of something that made no sense. So yes, "ladies (who frequent) the oven" or where things like bread, manushes etc are made used to be a way of insulting a woman who would speak of anything and everything.

The Lebanese language is full of idioms to insult women (see here and here) and that's just the tip of the iceberg. So calling a women-led bakery or furn as "neswen el furn" is a super gutsy move. Not only you appropriate the stereotype you actually flip it on its head and beat it. The ladies open from 7 A.M. to 2 P.M. daily except Tuesdays!

Ukrainian women stereotyped again by Lebanese men

Now this is interesting. A while back Wiam Wahab, a Lebanese politician described Ukrainian women as simply prostitutes prompting a very severe reply from the Ukrainian embassy and an apology from Wahab. Lately (that would be February 16 in page 8 of Al Sharq newspaper whose editor in chief is Awni Al Kaaki) came a photo of a very suggestive Ukranian woman with the words "adopt a Ukrainian to protect her from Russian occupation". The image (as per the rebuke of the Ukrainian embassy) contains "gender identity consideration, and contains harm based on gender, and insults the dignity of Ukrainian nationals". Well, it goes to say that the image in question shows a very scantily clad woman, with very revealing attire that delimit her incredibly suggestive forms. 

This obviously is a wink to the fact that for a long time, Eastern European women would come to Lebanon as "artistes" and were staples in night shows or what is called "super night clubs" (in other countries referred to as Gentlemen's Clubs) where women in minimum clothing would perform "numeros". It is also agreed that men can invite them to their tables, open bottles of champagne for them and when not working at clubs can go out with them (normally with financial retributions for their services). Naturally all this falls under stereotyping - except that women from certain countries cannot go easily to Lebanon under the age of 40 due specifically to the idea that they will be performing in such clubs or be of loose morals. 

This is a case which really happened: A woman from a certain European country had enormous trouble coming to Lebanon because she was under the age of 40. The problem is that she wanted to come here to help her daughter, married to a Lebanese deliver her first grandchild as her daughter was married to a Lebanese man. Which both women marrying young (the grandmother and the mother) you can imagine the conundrum. Actually having worked at the airport I can tell you that women coming from these countries are immediately rounded up and kept aside as soon as their plane lands, whether they come here as "artiste", wives of local men or any other designation.

Which brings us back to stereotyping of Eastern European women, and Ukrainian women specifically. It is to note that Al Kaaki has not apologized for the publication of the photo.

Oil & Gas 2 - Coral Oil

Please read here and here first. I will again be accused of stereotype, but seriously people, this is real life. No, Lebanese people do not populate gas stations. Live with it. The rest of the ad is about the car being sterilized after washing for free. PS: hats off for Lia Nurpetlian.

Ramco is recruiting Lebanese workers - stereotype alert!

Ramco, the company handling the sweeping and cleaning in Lebanon wants to recruit Lebanese workers.

Copied verbatim from here:

"Remember when Sukleen got launched a billion years ago? They did that with a cute good looking Lebanese actor and the joke was that he was the only Lebanese working there. Why? Because (oh Tarek you and your stereotypes!) all the people in Sukleen overalls on the ground were Syrians.
The other stereotype? That Egyptians actually work at gas stations (Egyptians do the filling and the Asians are more delegated to the car washing bit).
[...]
All right, how about this stereotype? A Lebanese would rather die from hunger than work at a gas station... (... in Lebanon. He could easily do it in any other country where he would pretend to be CEO because no one sees him on the daily job).
This post is full to the brim with stereotypes.
Here's a riddle: Is it still a stereotype when it is actually true?"

Now that Lebanese people are facing real and true hunger, will they let go of their social image? The "bteddayyan ta tetzayyan" theory. I personally doubt but here's hoping.

On optimism and the one-handed economist in Lebanon.

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly based on Albrecht Durer

Lately, I have been accused of being an optimist - specifically due to this piece.

Trust me, I am innocent of all charges.

I am impulsive, at times reckless, perhaps naive and gullible, but certainly am not an optimist.

The piece in question was based on experience and a rational thinking. Thinking short term is going to complicate matters, even though I realize asking to do so would be too much for someone who has their nose in the daily grind.

Another word that also gets on my nerves is resilience. It is that said resilience and our way to find short term fixes that got us as Lebanese where we are today. Had we really demanded and executed change along with accountability we would not have ended with B systems that work instead of the original A (the official recognized one).

Look am  not predicting easy, populist fixes, and my nephews tend to dislike me when my answers tend to be complex. Thankfully, they hear them out. And end up activating their neurons in the process. Which reminds of this old story. 

An emperor asked his chief of staff to find him a one-handed economist. The man rummaged the land and found none. Back to the palace he asks the emperor why would he need such a person, and the emperor answers, "because all their answers end with "on the other hand"..."

I know it seems am giving a convoluted answer to a simple question. But without being optimist or resilient, I still think we will pull through in Lebanon. In the long run.

Al Hurra goes against stereotype in New ad

Al Hurra TV goes against stereotype in a new ad. Part of this new wave of short-destined-destined-for-internet ads, the Hurra output crams a lot in a short while: A man dancing professionally? A woman riding on a motorcycle? Throughout the copy makes it easy to understand. "I am free in my expression" on the dancer and "I am free in my orientations/destinations" on the woman. Then the words "I am the free one" (Hurra means Free in the female form). The effort is part of a larger campaign by the chain to (re)position itself with its potential audience. 

Lebora - Lebanese housekeepers, racism and stereotypes.

Recently, I have seen photos of Ethiopian house helps being repatriated - by the hundreds upon hundreds. The reason is simple, few households can now afford either to hire someone by the hour (the rate was 5 Dollars) or full in-house on 24/7 basis (the average cost is 450 USD).
Actually, Lebanese being mostly racist in their demeanor, the whole category of house helps was labelled "sirilankiye" (Sri Lankese - due to the nationality of the first wave of women who would help at home). So much that one of my students (the son of an MP no less) told me once in class "Monsieur, Sirilankiyetna jeye min Ethiopia" (Sir, our Sri Lankese comes from Ethiopia). Actually, prior to be called collectively "sirilankiye " such women were called "baalbakiye" (the woman who comes from Baalbeck in what is sociologically called "rationalizing of the position").
Which brings us to Lebora (an incredible name truth be told which mixes Lebanon-Labor-Ora (by the hour) in a lovely mix) which promises to procure Lebanese house helps either per hour, part time or full time live in.
Now, Lebanese are not only racist but they are also snobbish and "menial work" is looked down on, and yes, many people do not abide by the "desperate times call for desperate measures" although in my dictionary I see nothing desperate about honest work - been there, done that. So many women feel degraded to be working as "san3a"  (maid) as men do with regards to filling jobs on fuel stations (the IPT campaign comes to mind).
Well, perhaps the current crisis will make the Lebanese reconsider. Here's hoping.

Carrefour and gender stereotyping

Carrefour supermarket has jumped on the wagon of celebrating "heroes" - you know the medical staff and all then reaching their employees. The film is neither exceptional nor bad. The problem? It falls into a terrible gender stereotyping. It starts with (somewhere there is) "a nurse or a doctor caring for a patient". Nothing wrong. Except there is! In Arabic "moumarida" is female nurse and "tabib" is male doctor. Florence Nightingale must be rolling in her grave! People, there are male nurses and female doctors and many institutions (I think of Marvel as an example) who portrayed them as such to indicate inclusivity and changing standards in today's world. Carrefour should live in today's world!

IPT seeks to recruit locals. Stereotype alert!

I shall start this post with a flashback - see here and here. Those links go back to Coral Oil - and I was butchered online for the funny joke the Asian worker said though quite late in the game. Actually, the butchering was not about the joke - it was about the Asian worker. How dare I be in favor of an Asian working at the gas station.
Remember when Sukleen got launched a billion years ago? They did that with a cute good looking Lebanese actor and the joke was that he was the only Lebanese working there. Why? Because (oh Tarek you and your stereotypes!) all the people in Sukleen overalls on the ground were Syrians.
The other stereotype? That Egyptians actually work at gas stations (Egyptians do the filling and the Asians are more delegated to the car washing bit).
Which brings us to the IPT ad recruiting Lebanese people on their gas stations "so that our service would be 100% Lebanese".
All right, how about this stereotype? A Lebanese would rather die from hunger than work at a gas station... (... in Lebanon. He could easily do it in any other country where he would pretend to be CEO because no one sees him on the daily job).
This post is full to the brim with stereotypes.
Here's a riddle: Is it still a stereotype when it is actually true?