Animal Prints Taboo?

[testadmin]

Hi Bhuzers,

I heard this evening from one of my students that animal prints were offensive to Arabic audiences. Any logic to that one? Sounds pretty strange, considering all the Egyptian made leopard costumes I've seen lately.

Thoughts?

[testadmin]

ive got vidoes of Fourouzan , famous persian bellydancer from the "golden era" where shes wearing leopard print. why would it be offensive?

[testadmin]

well antidotally Yasmina the Brit who dances in Cairo used to wear an animal print costume that Arab requested her to wear to their events. it's posted on her website www.yasminaofcairo.com

[testadmin]

It did sound wrong, but I thought I'd check it out just to put her mind at ease.

[testadmin]

It could possibly stem from the Islamic custom of not making any image or representation of a living creature (so as not to presume upon the position of Allah, as Creator, or something like that). But I think if any Islamic fundamentalist was watching a performance by a dancer in a leopard-print costume, the sin of wearing an animal-print is going to be the *least* of the causes of offence!

[testadmin]

Hmmmm... I wonder if she got the idea from Bhuz?

There was a discussion a while back where Cory Zamora said her Arab audiences are offended by dancers wearing costumes that come from an animal.

She *meant* tassels, which are worn only by camels in the ME. But a lot of people thought she meant animal prints & the posts in response to hers were about whether that was true or not.

I wonder if your student read that thread, or if other people read it, misunderstood it, and are now spreading misinformation?

(or is your students Arab herself?)

[testadmin]

No, animal prints are very popular in the Middle East. All the major designers work with Animal print. I used to have a Pharaonics costume that was animal print-leopard-that I sold. I have another one coming in. I have an Eman that is animal print. I know Sahar does a lot of work with leopard and snake print in different colors. In fact I recently had a conversation with one of the top designers who happened to mention what kinds of prints were out and what was in and she did mention that animal prints are extremely popular at the moment.

[testadmin]

No she's not from the Middle East, she just heard it from an instructor in town quite some time ago, so probably not an unclear bhuz thread. Probably just bad information or a misunderstanding. Go figure!

Anyway, I'm glad because I like animal prints!