Can Lingerie Change Western Attitudes about the Arab World?
The most outrageous and exuberant lingerie in the world comes from a place you’d probably never expect: Syria. Adorned with everything from faux fur, artificial flowers, and feathered birds to plastic toy cell phones, these intimates flash lights, play music, even vibrate. Well known across the Middle East—in Syria the lingerie forms an important part of the folk tradition around trousseaus and weddings—it is openly displayed in the markets and souks. This is the Chronicle Books summary of the September release of Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie: Intimacy and Design. Authors Malu Halasa and Rana Salam have brought together a diverse and dramatic collection of photography and writing, including the voices of Syrian women, celebrating this fabulous subculture in Syria. One of the co-authors of the book, Malu Halasa, has this to say about pulling the veil back on Muslim culture: However a more insidious problem exists. Books on the Arab and Iranian street, showcasing authenticity, are almo
