What’s Under Your Burqa, Baby?
June 5, 2010 1 Comment
You see a naked woman putting on make-up. She slips on some sexy lingerie, slides stockings up her legs and clips them to her garter belt. Heading out the door, she quickly grabs a niqab and puts it on.
How is this ad offensive?
No doubt the internet will be filled with the righteously indignant. But most of them will be white, Western and complaining about something they know nothing about.
There is a glaring error in this ad. Muslim women wear clothes under their niqabs. They play the same role as a jacket — a piece of clothing you wear in public over your normal clothes.
That said, most Muslim women I know would be thrilled to pieces with this commercial because sexiness is a big part of Arabic culture.
In the realm of marriage, women are encouraged and expected to keep their man interested through the liberal uses of lingerie and new boudoir techniques. Remember, this is a culture where women live in fear of being replaced by a younger second or third wife.
Just like it is expected that women wear a veil to divert the male gaze, it is expected that under that veil is an outfit designed to remind the husband just how hot his wife is.
It is only the Puritans who look upon lust with distaste. Most cultures and religions look upon it as an essential component of marriage.
The ad ends with the lines: “Sexiness for everyone. Everywhere.”
I know a lot of smug Muslim women who would agree, shaking their heads sadly at the Americans in their big comfy cotton panties.
Also read: The Eyes Behind The Veil
Muslim Women Balk At Religious Ruling Forcing Them To Show Their Faces
Barbie Dons Burka And Black Hijab
Sarkozy Backs Burqa Ban Bullshit
They Can’t Eat Spaghetti Through A Veil
How Muslim Veils Are Like Porn
To say there’s a glaring error in the ad is to miss some of the point. Obviously most of the time Muslim women wear normal clothing under the burqa in the same way that western women wear normal clothes under the coat. However it’s incredibly erotic when they don’t. My wife once met me at the airport wearing nothing but a knee-length coat and stockings, which she briefly demonstrated in the elevator as we left. The drive home was one of the longest hours of my life.
The fact that the model has nothing but lingerie under her burqa emphasises the tagline and the fact that Muslims and Westerners aren’t as different as people might think.