"Islamic Hottie": Bogus Multi-Culturalism

First, check out the ad from Liaison Dangereuse, an online lingerie retailer in Germany. It's risky, risque, and makes a point:





Well done ad, overall. But it bothered me for a few moments after viewing, and I think I have figured out why...

The ad attempts to challenge contemporary views of what a Muslim women is, and what she is really "like" underneath the cloak & veil. "Liaison" is trying to tell us that yes, there can be one hot sexy sweetie hidden underneath those layers, and that we should ogle them as we would any Western female who may arouse our curiosity as to what she is wearing "downtown". After all, it's all about that luscious female form, and not the nationality that shaped it...

True. But my issues are as follows:

- Sorry, that model does not look Muslim. Yeah, I know, you don't have to have dark eyes/hair/skin to be a Muslim, but if you're going to wrap a model in a burkha, can we have her be at least somewhat representative of the majority? I realize this adds to the shock value, but c'mon - how many blonde Muslims are really out there?

-While some Muslim women do wear sexy lingerie under their robes, the mass majority of them do not. And yes, the advertiser's job is to drum up more business, but since this video seems more like a multicultural "Twilight Zone", I think it's fair to state that an extremely large majority of women who do wear the burkha are fundamentalists, and are as likely to consider the purchase of frilly nighties as a crew of yarmulke-wearing Jews would consider sitting down for some bacon cheeseburgers on the Sabbath.

-Finally, imagine if the actress actually was a Muslim (I do not know for sure that she is not, but I'd bet on it). There would already be a Fatwa on her head from London to Riyadh for "disgracing the Women of the Prophet".

It's an interesting ad. But like most advertisements, the message is questionable, if not outright false. So don't fall for it, and for heaven's sake, I strongly recommend that you refrain from whistling at the next burkha-clad female that walks on by...