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The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie
This book reveals a largely unknown and unexplored side of Arab culture and design—one rarely glimpsed in today’s geopolitical debates that characterize the region. In Damascus and Aleppo, approximately 200 companies vie for a highly competitive domestic lingerie market. The lingerie forms part of popular Syrian tradition surrounding marriage; if a groom does not buy the undergarments for his wife-to-be, then her mother will. Some lingerie designers resort to gadgetry (blinking lights or sound loops of pop music) or the sweet tooth (candy- or chocolate-encrusted panties), while others stick to classics like the thong panty featuring a bird embedded in a ring of fl uorescent pink boa called Ish Al Asfour („bird’s nest“ in Arabic)—a kitsch interpretation of women’s pubic hair. Malu Halasa describes her and Rana Salam’s visits with the designers, manufacturers, vendors, and consumers of these undergarments, shedding light on the social mores of Syrians and questioning Western preconceptions about Islam. Photographs by Gilbert Hage highlight the editors’ „top 30“ of lingerie styles discovered on their many trips to the souk in Damascus. Also in the self-portraits by the young Syrian artist Iman Ibrahim; a history of the Syrian textile industry and how dictatorship created a homegrown fashion empire; excerpts from fi lmmaker Noura Kevorkian’s journal, impressions and observations made while listening to Syrian women speak candidly about their lives, leading her to further investigate the relationship between lingerie and polygamy; and an interview with one of Syria’s reformers, the author, publisher and activist Ammar Abdulhamid, among much more depicted within Rana Salam’s graphic collection of Arabic design. Texts by Malu Halasa, Noura Kevorkian, Kaelen Wilson-Goldie, interview with Ammar Abdulhamid, and photographs by Gilbert Hage, Iman Ibrahim, and Issa Touma among others.
Hardcover
Published October 1, 2006
222 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 28, 2009
Such an earnest look at this odd pocket of fashion. I kept trying to read the essay that launches the book, but the almost-scholarly prose just couldn't quite hold my attention. But you have to read it (or at least some of it) to make any sense of the photos that fill the book, in all their full-color full-bleed glory.
Is this what Syrian women look like? No, these are not Syrian women. Syrian women are not allowed to be photographed in such naughtiness. These are women from Eastern Europe, modeling lingerie that Syrian men want to see their Syrian women wear, but only in private.
Who are those terse men? Oh, they are the designers.
If I had to live in this world I'd explode. Thank you, however, for this book, and the chance to sense that anew.
Is this what Syrian women look like? No, these are not Syrian women. Syrian women are not allowed to be photographed in such naughtiness. These are women from Eastern Europe, modeling lingerie that Syrian men want to see their Syrian women wear, but only in private.
Who are those terse men? Oh, they are the designers.
If I had to live in this world I'd explode. Thank you, however, for this book, and the chance to sense that anew.
January 15, 2009
An enjoyable look at the many roles lingerie has in the Middle East.
August 14, 2024
This is a beautiful book. Paperback, but with heavy colorful pages and lovely pictures of what to Western eyes is completely ridiculous lingerie, such as g-strings with toy cell phones pasted on the front. It's also very scholarly, and written from the point of view of individuals, including one of the writers of the books who talks to Syrian women about their lives and their lingerie.
The book was from 2008, before the Syrian civil war that started in 2011 and is still ongoing now in 2024, between dictator Bashar Assad and most of the people of Syria. I can't help but wonder what the lingerie manufacturing sections of Damascus and Aleppo look like now after the cities have been damaged so much by the war.
Since I have also been reading a lot recently about American Christian fundamentalism and patriarchy, it's interesting to think about the parallels, where women in both situations are expected to be available for sex at any time and to bear many children. But in some of these fundamentalist groups, women aren't supposed to wear any underwear at all so there are no barriers for their husbands. In contrast, Muslim women in Syria, as portrayed by this book, use colorful and fanciful lingerie to keep their husbands interested in having sex with them, rather than going outside the marriage. Not all Syrian women, but Syrian women of certain classes and traditional conservatism. Overall a quite interesting and very colorful book!
The book was from 2008, before the Syrian civil war that started in 2011 and is still ongoing now in 2024, between dictator Bashar Assad and most of the people of Syria. I can't help but wonder what the lingerie manufacturing sections of Damascus and Aleppo look like now after the cities have been damaged so much by the war.
Since I have also been reading a lot recently about American Christian fundamentalism and patriarchy, it's interesting to think about the parallels, where women in both situations are expected to be available for sex at any time and to bear many children. But in some of these fundamentalist groups, women aren't supposed to wear any underwear at all so there are no barriers for their husbands. In contrast, Muslim women in Syria, as portrayed by this book, use colorful and fanciful lingerie to keep their husbands interested in having sex with them, rather than going outside the marriage. Not all Syrian women, but Syrian women of certain classes and traditional conservatism. Overall a quite interesting and very colorful book!
February 28, 2026
Interesting book, at times a bit too wordy that it lost me.
March 8, 2011
Wow, this stuff is out there. Feathers and Tweety Birds and toy mobile phones that play "Old MacDonald had a Farm", rabbits with ears that you can pull and the rabbit lights up and plays a tune. It's 'fun' rather than 'sexy', I guess.
The interviews and essays were interesting. A look at sexuality in Syria, where on the one hand women are often covered from head to toe in public, and on the other hand they are expected to keep hubby satisfied at home so he won't go roaming, or even worse, take a second wife.
And everyone is still supposed to remain a virgin until marriage even though people are generally not marrying until their thirties, so everyone is having sex, but nobody is admitting it.
I liked the interview with Ammar Abdulhamid, where he talked about being a fundamentalist Muslim once he moved to America. "I started dabbling with fundamentalism at nineteen or twenty, but the situation got worse when I came to the US and this culture shock took place. Religion empowered me. Instead of saying "I'm shy," I could always say "I'm religious" vis-a-vis women."
The interviews and essays were interesting. A look at sexuality in Syria, where on the one hand women are often covered from head to toe in public, and on the other hand they are expected to keep hubby satisfied at home so he won't go roaming, or even worse, take a second wife.
And everyone is still supposed to remain a virgin until marriage even though people are generally not marrying until their thirties, so everyone is having sex, but nobody is admitting it.
I liked the interview with Ammar Abdulhamid, where he talked about being a fundamentalist Muslim once he moved to America. "I started dabbling with fundamentalism at nineteen or twenty, but the situation got worse when I came to the US and this culture shock took place. Religion empowered me. Instead of saying "I'm shy," I could always say "I'm religious" vis-a-vis women."
September 13, 2011
A fascinating look at an primarily Islam country affection for (trashy) lingerie. Book is filled with interviews and essays by Syrian men & women about the role lingerie has in a marriage. The women do not buy this lingerie before marriage. A common theme thru the book is that the lingerie is very important to most in a marriage, otherwise & I quote "the men would otherwise stray to whores.".My conclusion is a Syrian woman must be a nun in public & temptress in private. Most of the lingerie in the book is childishly funny. Some of the thongs & bras have cell phone, feathers , flowers, stuffed animals, sequins, tweety bird, some play songs like Old Mac Donald had a farm. A good read and it gives you something to think about.
March 20, 2012
I bought this book thinking that it would be a giggle and the pictures of the lingeries are indeed very funny, but the contrast between the jollity of the pictures and the seriousness of the writing is very pronounced. This underwear may appear daft but underneath the undies are some very disturbing notions about women and womanhood.
Although I would have enjoyed a 'look at these daft foreigners and their silly knickers' book more, the book that has been produced provokes more thought.
Although I would have enjoyed a 'look at these daft foreigners and their silly knickers' book more, the book that has been produced provokes more thought.
July 26, 2013
It's amazing what you can learn about a culture from its underwear. Playful, and sometimes downright hilarious, Syrian lingerie occupies a niche market of its own that works to make the taboo topic of sex approachable in a conservative environment. With perspectives from both men and women, as well as wonderful photos, this book really digs deeper into the meaning behind what it means to wear lingerie in Syria.
September 26, 2011
This book was a hoot. I picked it up because my niece does belly dancing. I had no idea that Middle Easterners had such crazy stuff. Lots of silly things. Fun to look at. I read about 3/4 of the text.
February 12, 2010
An odd little book. It's interesting to see the naive, almost infantile way lingerie is presented in Syrian souks.
May 6, 2013
Couldn't believe there was such a book while i was working on Global Business project at school:) Interesting one!
September 24, 2013
The pictures are hilarious. The way lingerie and women are viewed in this world is interesting, to say the least. The book itself only had one or two memorable parts in my opinion.
June 25, 2015
It never even occurred to me that this was a thing until I stumbled upon this book at NYPL one afternoon. Libraries are good for learning.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews