FAKE BABES OF BEIRUT

Some time back I was having an online conversation with my brothers friend that I had not spoken to in years. He informed me that he had just returned from his short vacation trip to Lebanon. He was quick to point out that he will definitely be visiting the country again for the hot, drop dead gorgeous looking women. According to his observations,Lebanese women are the most beautiful women in the world. Naturally, I disagreed with him as I believe that in every culture and society, you will find women that are beautiful and those that are simply average looking. Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, I have nothing against Lebanese people or Lebanese women in general. However, most of the Lebanese women I have interacted with are "fake made up porcelain dolls." According to a recent article published in the Huffington Post, Lebanon has become the plastic surgery capital of the world, taking over LA and Miami, where 1 in every 3 women have undergone some sought of procedure ranging from boob jobs, tummy tucks, botox, cheek implants, rhinoplasty and the list just goes on. The demand for plastic surgery in the country has escalated to such high levels that banks are even offering loans for procedures to be carried out. There is also a sudden burst of foreigners frequenting Lebanon to get their cosmetic surgery procedures done at one of the many cosmetic clinics available within the country.According to Dr. Roland Tohme, a plastic surgeon at the Beirut Beauty clinic, the biggest draw for cosmetic tourism in Lebanon is the price. Many procedures can be done in Lebanon for half the price or less. A nose job that would cost between $5000 and $7000 in the United States or Europe costs about $2000 in Lebanon. According to a UNDP report, the ratio between 30-34 year old single males and 25-29 year old single females is seven to ten. Hence, this might explain why plastic surgery is coming to the point where it is as common as visiting the gym to get fit. Marriage is a Lebanese woman's number one priority in life, a particularly challenging endeavour given the lopsided sex ratio. Whilst doing a Google search on this subject matter, I came across a really hilarious article,"La Wlooo!!!…How to Look Like a Lebanese Bimbo". The article is written by a Lebanese woman, Rita D and is in the form of a satire. She compares these "fake porcelain dolls" to cheap street women.....Here are a few excerpts from the article but do make sure that you read the full article by simply clicking on the link.

"If you’re ugly like me, you’ll need to start looking like a ho asap so you can find a gentleman who will appreciate your personality and want to marry you and have your babies one day."

"Step 1: Admit the Truth
The first step towards self-improvement is admitting to yourself that you’re jealous of all hoes. Declare that since you were a little girl, you’ve always dreamed of growing up to be a sl**. Why would you want to be a lawyer, journalist, doctor, architect or anything boring like that when you can be a ho? It’s never too late to follow your dream. Be a ho so you can be appreciated for what truly counts: your brains!Stop making fun of hoes and admit that you’re a hater, because real beauty is looking like a $2 h**ker. These hoes aren’t bad people. All they want is to find a man of “quality” to spend on them (a.k.a. a husband), so they dress the part."

"Step 2: Dress to Impress
There’s no point in wearing underwear if you’re not going to show it, so make sure 85% of your cleavage is out and that only 15% of your bum is covered.
When attending a classy event, make sure to wear a dress that reveals your legs, back, chest, stomach, arms and maybe your v*gina. Make sure that your dress is so tight that your lungs would collapse after one hour, which is more than enough time to meet your future husband – granted that you’re wearing a pair of elegant h**ker heels. "

"Step 3: Draw on a New Face
The key here is to make sure none of your facial skin shows by the time you’re done. You have three looks to aim for: a mime, a clown or backstage makeup (think: Black Swan sans feathers).Make sure you start by painting a very light foundation all over your face. You’ll know you’ve got the right shade when your face and neck are two completely different colors. Your face should be a whitish-pink or something similar to your kitchen wall. Continue by coloring big black circles around your eyes. Don’t stop until you look like you’ve been kneed in the face twice. After you’re done applying the elegant eye shadow, glue on some super long fake lashes. Make sure they’re long enough to poke your future husband’s eye out. Move on to painting on your eyebrows."

"Step 4: Intensify your Mannerisms
Buy a year’s supply of bubblegum. Chew it all the time with an open mouth, even when you’re sleeping. Make sure to blow big bubbles and laugh as high as possible (think: Nanny Fran) for the perfect results. Suck on your finger whenever needed. For example, if someone asks you for directions, wink and suck on your finger. If someone asks you how much you charge per hour, suck the finger while giving him a piece of your mind!"

"Step 5: Talk Like you’re Trapping Poo
Now that you’ve gotten steps 1 through 4 under your belt, you must carry the right attitude with you. It’s not enough to look, smell, dance and think like a ho, you must talk like one too. Make sure to extend every vowel so that it sounds like you’re having a constipated orgasm. It’s not annoying, it’s sexy. Make a lot of “aaaahhhhh” sounds because they are like a mating call for potential husbands. No, men will not think you’re a vulgar nymphomaniac who’s slept with half the planet. They’ll see you as the mother of their unborn babies."

Whilst this author is clearly against cosmetic surgery and other fake beauty enhancing procedures, I was informed by a few Lebanese women I know that there is fierce competition amongst women to look good in Lebanon in order to find a husband.Many women from middle class or poor socio-economic homes aspire to become wives of rich Arab men from the neighbouring Gulf countries like Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Some women aspire and dream of marrying into royalty and hence would make concerted efforts to frequent night clubs and hotels that cater for the rich, upper class members of society.
Whilst a whopping 20 percent of Lebanese live under $2500 annually where most people are struggling to pay for their daily basic needs,I find it shocking that parents would take out loans from a bank to pay for their teenage daughter's cosmetic surgery procedure. Most parents aspire for their daughters to look like models on the cover of a magazine. The reality though is that most of the flawless images we see on a magazine cover is due to highly specialized air bushing and other computer generated techniques. Gravity defying boobs just does not exist in reality.Whilst women all around the globe spend thousands of dollars on various cosmetic procedures and techniques, I will forever adhere to the age old saying "Beauty is only skin deep."

SOURCE:
http://nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=346606

http://www.undp.org.lb/programme/governance/advocacy/nhdr/nhdr98/chptr8.pdf

Saudi women and plastic surgery

Islam is truly a unique religion. In fact it is not simply a religion but rather a way of life. It has answers and solutions to all aspects of life clearly defined within the Quraan as well as the hadith or sayings of the Prophet Muhammed (saw). So what is the Islamic point of view with regards to plastic surgery? Well Islam permits plastic surgery only in certain circumstances or situations. If for example a person had an accident and became deformed then plastic surgery will be permitted or in the case of a friend of mine whose nose fractured by a door that was mistakenly banged into her and has now got some breathing problems, plastic surgery will be permitted to remove the discomfort. Skin grafts will also be allowed in patients that have been severely burnt. However, undergoing cosmetic surgery for mere vanity is prohibited in Islam. The hypocrisy that exists within Saudi society simply baffles me. On the one hand we have women who are covered up from head to toe and on the other hand these same women are now undergoing all types of cosmetic and reconstruction surgeries to look like women that have graced international magazine covers.Speaking to a well known plastic surgeon in the Kingdom a few weeks ago, I was told that in the past there may have been one or two cosmetic and dermatology clinics in Riyadh but nowadays more and more clinics have sprung up each one offering the latest state of the art technology in the field of cosmetic surgery. Saudi women are being admitted for all types of procedures ranging from Botox, liposuction, boob augmentations, tummy tucks, nose jobs and buttock implants.

Islam prohibits the plucking of the eyebrows as it changes a woman's facial features and yet there are many Saudi women who have had eye brow tattooing done. This procedure involves removing the eye brows permanently through laser treatment or temporarily by threading the eyebrows with cotton  and then replacing the real eyebrow with a permanent eyebrow tattoo.The tattoo is drawn with ink that matches the individuals skin tone and complexion. The total cost of the procedure is approximately SR3000. Tattoos amongst young Saudi women trying to imitate western movies stars is also very much a fashion trend here.The majority of Saudi women would opt for false nails coupled with nail polish which once again is prohibited in Islam.

Three weeks ago I had a patient who came for her pain medication after undergoing a "boob job". She was clearly in lots of pain and whilst we were chatting I asked her why did she go through this whole agonizing procedure. She told me that she had a breast augmentation done to fulfill her husbands wish. He apparently likes a fuller more voluptuous woman and hence convinced her to get a breast augmentation done increasing her cup size from 34C to 36C. She went on further to say that she was afraid of losing her husband as he could very easily leave her and get married to a more beautiful woman of his choice. I couldn't help but wonder in the back of my mind that you actually get such fake and superficial people in the world. I thought two people marry each other for love and that looks, money and materialistic possession is unimportant.I thought that when you marry someone you accept that person the way they are and love them the way they are. I guess I have the old school of thinking. I guess with a new world order comes a new way of thinking as well.....How ridiculous in my opinion.If her husband was my husband, I probably would have knocked his head with a frying pan and sent him off packing lock stock and barrel!!

Last month whilst dining out with friends and having a fabulous time with amazing company I returned home only to break out in a huge allergic reaction. My upper lip and my right eye lid was swollen. I looked absolutely funny and the worst part was that I needed to report to work in the morning. I immediately took  high doses of antihistamines to reduce the swelling and then retired to bed. The next morning I woke up only to find that the swelling was still there. I looked like a caricature of myself and didn't know whether I should laugh or cry. I went to work and naturally everyone started asking what happened and of course suggesting what medication I should take. The most hilarious comment though that I got was from a patient who assumed that my upper lip and eyelid was swollen due to a botox injection. She said that she always thought I had lovely full lips and now she knows the reason. I kept on telling her that I had an allergic reaction and she just wouldn't believe me. I wouldn't be surprised if she probably made an appointment the next day with the plastic surgeon to get a shot of botox.

Whilst most women aspire to be like the women we are so use to seeing on magazine covers or on television the truth is that these women have been made to look a certain way through plastic and cosmetic surgery. They do not have natural beauty. Their boobs are upright and perky due to implants as natural breasts do not look anything like the one's that are stuffed in our faces in magazines..their derrieres are cellulite free and their skin flawless due to airbrushing and various other computerized technology out their to create a false, fake image of how a woman should be. The truth is that many of these stars were nothing to look at during their childhood or teenage years. For many of them it has been a case of the ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan through numerous cosmetic surgeries and procedures to simply become the sex symbols of the world. After all SEX SELLS!!! Doesn't it.

So my question to all Saudi women out there is,Do you really want the world to view you as a sex symbol or a sex object like the women who grace these magazines or would you rather have the world view you as a modest moral woman who adheres to her religion, her culture and her roots and is proud of being a part of that culture and religion? Why aspire to be like someone else?Be proud of who you are and be happy with the way God has created you.

Source:

http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1364543 - pictures