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People Helping People - Nov. 23
After 30 years at the helm of Akron Children's, Considine still looks to future
Matsos bottling a dressing that’s selling in 25 states
Home Run for Homeless is Thursday
People Helping People - Nov. 22
People Helping People - Nov. 21
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Akron man killed in crash on his street
Browns find another way to lose
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
After 30 years at the helm of Akron Children's, Considine still looks to future
Blogs:
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Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
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Sunday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Browns sick after sick loss in Detroit
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Zips advance to Sweet Sixteen
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Post-game defensive quotes
Kent State Sports:
Kent State defeats Rochester College, 63-44
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
The Onion, By Any Other Name…
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (70) Savings in Medicare Advantage
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Faye Dunaway to be Evicted?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Monique asks how to get tickets for the Polar Express.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – You are All Wrong About Jobs, or the Lack of Jobs, Being the Reason People Do Not Live in NEO
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
'Secret Life' offers peek into private lives of Muslim women
By Kim Hone-McMahan
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Sep 07, 2008
It might just be the most provocative lingerie in the world. Forget Victoria's Secret; think Frederick's of Hollywood, and then some.
But there's a twist. This skimpy apparel is designed and made in a place embroiled in political turmoil, where women's bodies, when out in public, are usually covered. This Middle East location is home to many people who are conservative and deeply religious, and apparently have a penchant for outrageously sexy negligees.
The Souk al-Hamidiyeh is the largest and most famous marketplace in Damascus, Syria. Here, shoppers can find lingerie with feathers, crocheted bodysuits and edible bikinis.
Some of the pieces light up; others play songs like Old MacDonald Had a Farm.
In The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie, graphic designer Rana Salam and Bath Township native and journalist Malu Halasa, who
covers the culture and politics of the Middle East and now lives in London, give us a peek into part of the Muslim world not often heard of, or seen, in the West.
''There's an idea that because it's Islam, they don't have sex,'' explained Halasa, who is a co-author of several other books and writes for the British press. ''We cannot make assumptions about the private lives of Muslims.''
Lingerie is a luxury item in Syria. Halasa doesn't suggest that the women are wearing racy panties beneath their burqas; they are worn at intimate moments.
When a woman gets married, she often collects up to 30 outfits for her wedding night. They are gifts to herself and from folks like her mother, future mother-in-law and groom. The lingerie represents a rite of passage from virginity to respectable, married womanhood.
''Some Syrian women think that buying lingerie is a waste of money and it has no role in their sexual lives. While for some traditional people, it is a must to buy lingerie with all different colors and styles before getting married,'' an unidentified woman says in the book. ''I think that not being able to wear what you want in daily life is a factor, which makes some girls feel that only marriage will give them the chance to show.''
While Middle Eastern women are often seen in public wearing drab colors, what goes on behind closed doors might be a different story. Flamboyancy is reserved for the home, where clothing can be bright, cheery and sometimes tantalizing.
In The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie, published by Chronicle Books, Muhammad Emad Haliby, manager of a women's clothing store, says the erotic wear is about fun.
''There has to be laughter in the bed. If the man doesn't make the woman laugh, the sex is dead. The more she laughs, the better the sex,'' he said. ''If Syrian lingerie didn't exist, sex would be boring.''
A sense of humor will come in handy, because some of the outfits are, well, tacky. You can find thongs with singing Tweety Birds and plastic cell phones attached to the crotch.
''The underwear makes me laugh so much. It is not sexy at all! At least, I don't think so,'' remarked another unidentified woman in the book. ''It is so old-fashioned and mirrors the very old-fashioned ideas about sexuality in the less educated classes of Syria.''
The visually driven 176-page book explains lingerie's role in the Arab world with a rare behind-the-scenes look at the industry, a filmmaker's diary of shooting a lingerie documentary in Syria, frank talk from Syrian women about what part undergarments play in their lives, and an interview with a former fundamentalist. It's complete with unretouched photographs of women modeling the lingerie.
To order the book, available in stores in September, visit http://www.chroniclebooks.com or online retailers such as Amazon.com.
The 1974 Revere High School graduate, who was recently in the area visiting relatives, has another new book — Transit Tehran: Young Iran and its Inspirations. It's an anthology of new writing and images from Iran published by Garnet Publishing.
Kim Hone-McMahan can be reached at 330-996-3742 or kmcmahan@thebeaconjournal.com.
It might just be the most provocative lingerie in the world. Forget Victoria's Secret; think Frederick's of Hollywood, and then some.
Get the full article here.
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