Saudi Arabia took the debate about beauty and the commoditisation of women to a whole new level this Friday.
Sample this surreal piece of breaking news from Riyadh: “Saudi beauty queen Aya Ali al-Mulla trounced 274 rivals to win a crown, jewellery, cash and a trip to Malaysia, and all without showing her face.”
To win the title of Miss Moral Beauty, Miss Mulla had to go through three months of ‘tests’ to prove how much more dutiful than the other contestants she was towards her parents, and society.
While one of the organisers claims that “The real winner in this competition is the society”, what I found interesting was the fact that the only other pageants so far held in Saudi Arabia had as contestants “goats, sheep, camels and other animals, aimed at encouraging livestock breeding”. What a great list to be part of!
Well, after decades of struggle, Saudi women have finally been given their own pageant and now take their rightful place in that long and exalted list. Though I am very sure the aim – quite laudably – still continues to be socially sanctioned breeding.
Because that’s what women everywhere are for, isn’t it? That’s what moral beauty is all about – duty towards husband, parents and society. And fecundity. Let’s not forget the fecundity.
The Quirky Indian 
July 27, 2009 at 3:10 pm
I just read it and well… the less said about it the better.. really…
July 27, 2009 at 4:20 pm
I remember a while back there was this beauty pageant right here in India where the women had to perform all the household chores and behave like a good bahu.. you know… behing the khoongat…
As far as the Saudi pageant goes am sure they just had to worry about the beauty of their eyes =D Goats must be jealous
July 27, 2009 at 5:20 pm
They take ‘crazy’ to a whole new level…
July 27, 2009 at 5:33 pm
hahahaha
I am going to tweet this. 🙂
(This is actually sad, but I have to laugh it off. Dark, dark humor. )
July 27, 2009 at 5:35 pm
OH GAWD!
Are these people for real? I’d really like to know how this woman proved her moral uprightness! I’ve been failing at it all these years 😛
July 27, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Finally! Someone appreciates true beauty, and the rest of the world scoffs at them! Bhery bhery sad!!
July 27, 2009 at 6:30 pm
What a pity but true. And yeah, let’s not forget the fecundity and when it comes to most of the Indian households, A Son it should be.
July 27, 2009 at 8:56 pm
lol 😛
July 27, 2009 at 9:39 pm
I wonder how the bikini round went.
July 28, 2009 at 4:07 am
The question is, will she let her hair down as dutifully when she gets to Malaysia? Some things are so sad, they’re almost funny. Almost.
g
PS: You missed fecundity.
July 28, 2009 at 6:00 am
after i read this news on yahoo, i searched for the lady’s picture. all i got was some pictures of women in hijab.
wonder how they decided that she was so beautiful unless the judges had personal access to the women 😉
July 28, 2009 at 7:08 am
Ha..ha..ha.. YES!
Q: How does one prove her “morality”?
A: By covering up and being obedient, dutiful and blah blah. More blah blahs.
Q: How would Saudi men prove their “morality”?
A: By adding more women in their harem.
July 28, 2009 at 7:27 am
I don’t diss other countries normally, but this is one country that makes my blood boil for the extremely regressive culture in the name of god. I reckon I’d have een stoned to death y now if I were there.
July 31, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Psych Babbler I am sure I too would have met the same fate if I was there 😦
July 28, 2009 at 11:30 am
LOLOLOL, I simply cant stop laughing! This is the country that banned Aishwarya Rai’s eyes because they are too sexy! Surreal is an apt word
July 28, 2009 at 11:57 am
well…
errr!!!!
Dunno what to say!!!
Am wonderinf that if this happens in India then am sure that even then our moral police will find some flaws in it!!!
Fecundity indeed is mots important!!!
July 28, 2009 at 1:32 pm
LOL!
I laughed out SO loud while reading this!
I just don’t know what to say. I mean, like ritu said, its all just surreal and totally baffling! Its one culture I will never understand.
July 28, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Too much to digest Do not know whether to laugh or to be angry. Saudi regime is one the most regressive in the World. My view is most beauty contests are demeaning to women .
July 28, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Sigh.
Though I wonder what she would do with the free trip, the money and the jewels….imagine being a ‘moral’ beauty queen (whatever the f#$%% does that mean, anyway?) and not being able to let your burqa (forget hair) down?
And if they are so ‘moralistic’ in Saudi A, do they procreate through telekinesis?
They should do a Sach Ka Saamna show in Saudi….mazaa aayegaa!
July 28, 2009 at 4:20 pm
oooh! THASTS what they meant when they said beauty is not skin deep!!
errrr….
July 28, 2009 at 8:46 pm
QI:
That women were struggling all this while to get their own “pageant” says entirely something else quite sad about aspirations, does it not?
July 31, 2009 at 9:31 pm
It really does!
July 29, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Damn…now i have to go to dictionary.com to look up that new word i just read. Phew!
July 31, 2009 at 1:44 pm
wtf!!
July 31, 2009 at 3:45 pm
As Hitchhiker said, the lesser said about it, the better! Grrr…
July 31, 2009 at 8:16 pm
the only beauty in that desert is woman.
July 31, 2009 at 9:30 pm
All the moral beauty of this moral princess still cannot be depended upon to show her morally upright face.
That’s why I wonder who benefits from all this beauty and all these morals and all the sacrifices… but then who benefits from the goats, sheep, camels pageants? … Makes sense.
August 3, 2009 at 11:09 am
@Dhiren: Yes, the less said the better…
@Balu: How can we be left behind when it comes to protecting our culture? 🙂
@Rakesh: Ha ha….yes, absolutely!
@Poonam: So how’s Pune treating you?
@D: Well, the first step is to get rid of any individuality and submit yourself to total male domination….that automatically makes you a contender for “Moral Beauty”
@Pal: For a definition of true beauty, read my comment above! 🙂
@Vee: Yes, a son it should be….sad!
@Vishesh: 🙂
@Ava: What, you want to get the poor girls stoned to death or something?
@Gauri: Will she or won’t she have a blast in Malaysia? 🙂 And I was hoping no one would notice that I missed fecundity, but damn – you are observant!
@Philip: You searched for photographs? LOL!
@Solilo: 🙂 A nice summary of an entire society!
@Psych-Babbler: Tru dat!
August 3, 2009 at 11:24 am
@Ritu: They banned Aishwarya’s eyes? I didn’t know that.
@Smita: India is not far behind when it comes to defending and protecting culture!
@Miss M: Welcome and thanks for the comment. I don’t think anyone understands that culture.
@Charakan: But a ‘pageant’ like this one is as demeaning to women.
@Anand: If a Sach Ka Samna can get our Indian MPs to object, can you imagine it ever being aired in Saudi?
@Abha: Hello! Long time….yes, beauty is actually dependent on how submissive you are to ‘society’.
@Shefaly: They must have thought, if goats and camels can have their own pageants, why not women? “Sad” is a very mild word!
@Amreekandesi: 🙂
@Anuja: Ditto!
@Sakhi: Strange, isn’t it?
@Anrosh: Welcome and thanks for the comment. You forgot the camels and the goats!
@IHM: It’s a breeding market….men own goats, camels and women.
August 20, 2009 at 11:18 pm
@QI: I am fine and happy in Pune. However, my city exploration plans have been cramped simultaneously by swine flu and work flu. Whats that cliche phrase they use: Work will not stop.
Other than that, I having a happy stay. Thanks for asking. 🙂