ترجمة: تسنيم عبدالله   المجتمع العربي عموماً والمجتمع المصري تحديداً، بيحكم لا إرادياً على أي حاجة بتعملها الست اللي مش مرتبطة، وخصوصاً لما تقرر تسافر. وبما إن السفر بقى حاجة منتشرة مؤخراً وبتجذب انتباه كل الناس رجالة وستات، كبار أو صغيرين؛ فالمجتمع بقى يوجّه أنظاره كلها لأي ست مش مرتبطة بتسافر لوحدها. وفي اعتقاد مشهور…

ترجمة: تسنيم عبدالله لفّي حجابك، واستعدي للصيف باستايلات أنيقة ومختلفة أغلبنا ما بنصدق إن الشتا يخلص، علشان نشيل الجاكتتات والبلوفرات الشتوي، ونلبس لبس خفيف، ألوانه مبهجة ،يقلل من حرارة الصيف. لكن بالنسبة للبنات المحجبات الصيف مش بيبقى إنهم يشيلوا اللبس الشتوي وبس، إلى جانب ده بيكون فيه تحضريات وتجهيز لبس يساعدهم يتعاملوا مع الحر والشمس،…

ترجمة: تسنيم عبدالله   محمد الصغير، الاسم المعروف، اللي قِدر في فترة مش كبيرة إنه يكون رائد  في مجاله؛ مش بس كدة هو كمان استطاع إنه يغيّر مفهوم ووجهة نظر ناس كتير عن مهنته، وخلاها من شغلانة مُهمَلة ومحدش مهتم بيها لشغلانة كل ناس عايزة تتعملها. الصغير كان أول واحد يصنع لنفسه اسم وماركة بتفيد…

Hollywood is the ultimate dream for many. Once you make it there as an actress/actor, producer, filmmaker, director, sound designer, art director, or as anything else at all even if minimal, you open new doors of success for yourself. Egyptians such as the all-famous Sam Esmail and Rami Malek have set a strong foot in Hollywood,…

We drove into the Al Ghareeb Cemetery, manoeuvring through the tiny roads to get to the heart of the grave site. “Thieves hide there”; “people there are depressed”; “people there are unhappy and lead dull lives” were amongst the phrases playing repetitively in our heads. We had almost believed them, already anticipating exactly what we…

From offering amendments to the Egyptian constitution against female circumcision, to increasing the constitutional penalties for sexual harassment, changes in the Egyptian constitution -for the most part – have been in favour of women. However, that could possibly be changing soon, if a suggested amendment offered a day ago in relation to child custody, is…

For many, “Nour”, the video performed by Amina Khalil and Zap Tharwat, is about women empowerment, but for us it is about the empowerment of an entire society. “When you as a male empower a woman and give her rights, you are empowering yourself and your entire society and making it stronger as a whole,”…

Freedom is a feeling more and more people continue to lose to censorship, injustices and national oppression. It is a feeling and a state Egyptians went down on January 25th to fight for and gain for the first time in a long time. 2011 saw the birth of an unprecedented hope. Now it’s 2016, the…

Image Source: EParena Mothers are magical forces to be reckoned with. Sometimes though, we tend to forget this reality till something happens that reminds us of their mystic greatness. Earlier this week, the World’s no. 1 squash player Mohamed El Shorbagy secured his place at the 2016 Qatar Classic final after defeating three time World Champion Nick…

Egyptian talent is on a rise in all kinds of realms and it just can’t go unnoticed. Amongst the many successes are women that are following their passion restlessly, slowly but surely and strongly climbing the stairs of success. We’ve seen the achievements of Egyptian females in sports, in fashion and in the sciences. Today…

As the cancer epidemic continues to rise, we continue witnessing all kinds of motivational stories. We’ve seen and heard many stories revolving around positivity, societal support and ease. However, we rarely hear the stories of female cancer patients who have faced societal problems and obstacles before being able to rise as great inspirations for others.…

What does Trump’s win mean for humanity and the world? People on social media are claiming that “the world will become a terrible place”, that “humanity is going to fail” and that “the world will become unsafe”. What all these people fail to see however, is that Trump’s win is a testimony that our world…

Women being mistreated and discriminated against, is a reality evident in our society and one many of us are consciously aware of. However, every now and then during our moments of hope for the better and future aspirations, something happens that reaffirms this sad reality or pushes it to further realms. Such are two images that…

Image taken by: Nada Hesham   As Egypt announced the Egyptian Pound floatation, prices all over the country skyrocketed. Amongst the many monetary changes that generically took place due to the economic crisis of Egypt, was the rise of tuition fees by almost 30% in most private educational institutions. In response to this significant rise…

At times, art inspires, at other times it expresses or beautifies or questions, but in all cases it purifies a person’s emotional state. Unfortunately though, the importance of art and the power it possesses is underestimated and underexposed. Egyptian Artist Abdel Wahab Abdel Mohsen was very aware of this sad reality, and decided to take an…

The Launch of Vogue Arabia earlier this year was a huge milestone for the Arab fashion scene. With the launch, came the Dubai Design & Fashion Council/Vogue Fashion Prize Competition, and our very own “Okhtein” were amongst the competitors! Okhtein is an Egyptian bags and accessories brand founded by two sisters: Aya and Mounaz Abdel…

We live in a society inevitably encompassing judgements. Mix that with the presence of social media and you create a recipe for disastrous negativity. Although we saw many positive responses during the olympics, we also saw negative ones degrading our female athletes. We’ve seen the hate generated towards Fifi Abdo at the way she choses…

Photographers are on a rise and the competition is at an all time high in Egypt! We have the fashion photographers, the portrait photographers, the outdoor photographers and the generic studio photographers. However in the midst of all the photographic mayhem, come another and different bracket of photographers: the offbeat and the quirky. These are…

From their spontaneous smiles, to their heart-melting cries, to their sudden funny movements and responses, babies are the cutest! Sometimes as a parents you feel like you want to capture that innocent smile before it loses it’s purity, or dress them up in a captured moment, or even simply just hold onto their rawest purest…

Some people believe that having children and being a part of motherhood, stalls a mother from achieving her dreams and ambitions. Those very same people usually also believe that having children, tends to get a woman to forget about herself, dressing up less and taking less care of herself. However, we have some great Instagram…

Reminiscing about the past has become a common occurrence amongst Egyptians. Recently a Facebook post went viral, stating that Egypt is the only country that can move forward in our modern days, by traveling back in history. Egypt in the 1900s used to have streets, buildings and generic architecture that competed with those of London.…

Thick hair on girls is not always a great thing. When it comes to eyebrows though, some of us are lucky enough to have naturally thick hair that helps give our eyebrows natural depth and darkness, accentuating our eyes and features. However, many others are not so lucky, and tend to have thin eyebrow hairs.…

Extremely special, genuine and emotional moments don’t necessarily occur often. We do however witness some of the most beautiful expressions, genuine reactions, and meaningful moments during weddings. There is something about weddings, perhaps the realization that a new life and stage is being celebrated and about to begin, that gives way for all those present…

Photo From: British Film Institute’s official website   Egyptian films have been doing so well lately, proving to be worthy competitors in the international film scene. From Mohamed Diab’s “Clash” which was the opening film earlier this year at the Cannes film festival, to Seif Abdullah’s “Nourhan” completely filmed with an iPhone being nominated at…

“Cancer”, a word many people dread and hate hearing. Our culture has systemized us to view cancer as the equivalent of death, however many strong cancer fighters and survivors are constantly proving otherwise. With modern technology and all kinds of medical and natural treatments, cancer can be dealt with like any other disease. In hopes of…

Fifi Abdo is always up to something having us laughing, correcting her English, or simply loving her even more. Recently, she discovered Snapchat filters and ran with them. Social media has been going mayhem over her hilarious filter usage. However, in the meantime, she has wasted no time and took to Twitter to show students…

Elegance, lightness and uniqueness. The Huawei P9 Leica phone is the perfect mesh! Perhaps one of its most distinguishing characteristics is its back camera which comes with dual 12 MP sensors and F2.2 lenses. In comparison to iPhone 7’s F1.2 lens and single sensor, the Huawei P9’s camera options can’t be competed with! It is…

Living in an Arab society – more specifically the Egyptian society – comes with many stigmas in all kinds of realms. Some of these stigmas revolve around single women who travel. Traveling has recently become a widespread trend catching the attention of males, females, the old, the young, the corporate workers and the more relaxed…

Last night at Zawya – the independent cinema in Egypt – the Lebanese award-winning film “Very Big Shot”, written and directed by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, was screened. Being the Lebanese film submission to this year’s Oscars, this film holds great significance. This satirically dark film, starts off with three brothers getting arrested after the eldest commits a…

Elhamy Agena is a member of the Egyptian parliament who has recently been making headlines and not for any good reason. He has previously made extremely controversial – and ignorant – claims such as women are the main problem behind the Islamic sin of “Zina”, men are sexually weak, and female circumcision should not be banned…

In the ocean of fashion bloggers that are being followed now a days, it becomes apparent that most of the time, suggested looks and fashion tips are either too expensive, too edgy, too quirky and maybe even too over done. Therefore, not necessarily practical! With that being said, we’ve come across Arab fashion bloggers that…

Trends change all the times. From year to year we wait for the revealing of all the upcoming trends from shoes to pants to jewelry designs. Sometimes in the midst of our attentiveness towards what’s new, we overlook those trends that never go out of style. Amongst the many trends that fall under this bracket…

A picture can be worth a million words. This is a phrase we so often hear to where it has become rather cliche. Its constant usage however, is a testimony to its truth and inevitable reality. A single picture can make us feel overwhelmingly happy, overwhelmingly sad, it can make us live a moment in…

We witnessed three amazing Egyptian athletes come back home from the Rio2016 Olympic games with medals, making us overly proud and happy! However, little did we know that our athletes competing at the Rio2016 Paralympics – the Olympic games for people of disabilities – would send us on an even greater high of pride and…

The fashion scene has recently been growing in the Arab World proving to be a worthy competitor. From designers, to models, to photographers, the fashion industry is on a rise, and soon we anticipate it will blow to the outside world with massive success. One of those anticipated successes comes from a fashion blogger we…

Eid is almost here which means that a ton of sheep are about to get put to sleep. Although this is a normal occurrence, and although animals are killed on a daily basis for their meat, we still do care about their welfare. We want to make sure that all animals being put to sleep…

Dreamers, bright, restless, motivational, and active. These are amongst the many characteristics that can be given to the Egyptian youth. However, unfortunately these very individuals constantly find themselves trapped in an unsupportive environment, unable to habilitate a clean emotional, physical and mental state. Therefore, they become unable to set their characters free and thus many…

Go to the western world and say the words “Muslim women” and the first word that comes to mind is “oppressed”. Go to the Arab world and say the word “veiled” and the first word that comes to mind is “trapped”. Many of us know that these two responses are not so reasonable and are…

Female genital mutilation is a big social and health problem being faced in Egypt. In 2015, the Egyptian Health Officials announced that 92% of Egyptian women have undergone FGM. According to a UNICEF report, FGM can lead to problems with menstruation, intercourse, childbirth, and in some cases, death. “What medical education tells doctors about banning…

Aging. A thought that scares us and a reality we try to avoid regardless of its unavoidability. Not all ages feel these emotions on the same level. Perhaps they are most felt when transitioning from the twenties into the thirties. All the years prior to the 30s are widely considered the best days and most…

    Cancer, is one of the most life-claiming diseases in our world today. It is ruthless, and possess one of the toughest battles one may face. Many win the battle, yet unfortunately many others don’t. However, regardless of it’s ruthlessness, the lives and spirits and souls of people have continued to live on in…

Wear makeup, show more skin, lose weight, do this and do that. Our world has become so keen on manipulating girls and women into believing that their beauty is based on superficial reasons, rather than their natural selves in all their forms. So it comes as no surprise that when Alicia Keys – along with…

Ever watched a movie or show revolving around the life of a chef and wished you could meet one in person? Well, we managed to do so for you! A little over three months ago, the Cairo Marriott Hotel in Zamalek decided to revolutionize its menus and restaurants by adding the French Chef Philippe to its talented…

When we wanted to promote tourism in Egypt, we chose to use a hashtag and let it trend: #ThisIsEgypt. It definitely trended for a while, but did it increase tourism? Not necessarily, and on the contrary, it eventually backfired when Egyptians began using this hashtag to reveal the negative aspects of Egypt as well. Today,…

Take a walk down memory lane and remember all those scary movies you’ve seen over the years, and you’ll find yourself more amused than you are scared. In the midst of all the recent horror films, we can’t help but reminisce about movies from back in the day and wonder why and how we ever…

He is the entrepreneur that turned an unappreciated occupation into a respected profession. Mohamed Al Sagheer is the one who turned an overlooked skill into a strong brand to satisfy and beautify all women. His name became synonymous with fabulous hairstyles, and he took beauty and hair care to new heights in Egypt. We sat…

Last week, different towns and cities in France decided to ban the burkini swimsuit worn by Muslim and – generically speaking – modest women. The burkini is a modest swimwear that covers the head and the body. Following the ban, images of armed French policemen making a woman on a beach take off parts of…

  Sexual abuse, being underestimated, domestic violence, discrimination and overall sexism are struggles that every Egyptian woman has faced and dealt with at some point in her life. Who knew that representing ourselves and holding our own at the Olympics was what it took to regain some of our respect as Egyptian women?   Sara…

The fashion scene in Egypt and the Arab world is on the rise constantly. Recently, the most noticeable dominating aspect of this scene is the countless fashion bloggers. From the unconventional, to the veiled, to the high-end, to the hipster ones and more, there are plenty of fashion bloggers to choose from. We find ourselves following…

Fabulous, quirky items are some of our favorite things. A little something that will stand out in your outfit is a great addition to your wardrobe. Here are some cute and quirky pieces that you can get here!   Balloons and Seashells When your balloons pop, put them to good use and wrap them on…

Poverty is a growing social problem that has riddled the Egyptian society for decades. Little do we know about the lives of the victims of this social atrocity. According to a survey done by The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the poverty line has reached 27.3% in 2014/2015, and the monthly expenses…

Dear President Sisi, Today, when we as Egyptians talk about our pride, we talk about our history and Pharaonic era more than anything, but we never seem to find anything worthy of our pride in our current civilization. How sad is it that we can’t find other accomplishments worthy of our pride today? What are…

Featured Image: REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov    From squash to beach volleyball to football and swimming; Egyptian female athletes have been dominating the Egyptian sports scene locally and internationally for the past year. 18-year-old Sara Samir has now added weightlifting to that list as she recently deservingly won the Bronze Medal at the Rio2016 69 kg Weightlifting Olympics…

The Olympics are not just an event that hosts all kinds of sports and brings forth some of the best athletes in the world, but it is also an event that brings together multifarious cultures, putting aside religion, race and any other personal classifications – with the exception of nationality – for the sake of a…

Most of us live each year anticipating summer and the moment we get to lock up all our heavy clothes away. However, for veiled women, summer doesn’t just mean packing away those coats and jackets, but also means preparing those outfits and looks that’ll be beating the summer heat. For any veiled woman finding trouble…

Featured Image: Anjelina Lohalith rio2016.com   During the 2016 Rio Olympic Games Ceremony, the world paid witness to the standing ovation welcoming the refugees into this worldwide event. Everyone rejoiced over the team, represented for the first time in history. In light of this great decision, we wanted to get an in depth look at…

Sunglasses are an essential part of summer! There are all kinds of shapes, colors and trends, and at times you find yourself caught up in making a decision regarding which sunglasses to wear! So, to help you out, we brought you a list of women who rocked their sunglasses this summer, giving you a little…

Dear Arab Mothers, There is no daughter out there who does not love her mother for all that she is. We idolize you! At times, you are our sisters and our best-friends, and most of the time for many of us, you are our compasses and the main guides in life. However, at other times,…

Edited by Yara Alsayes Social Media is a great way to communicate, share information and express thoughts and opinions. However, for many people, Social Media has ironically made them less productive, and perhaps more anti-social. We spoke to people from the Egyptian youth, who have cut themselves out of and/or minimized their Social Media usage…

Edited by Yara Al Sayes    Whether you’re a sinner or a saint, you’ve probably been judged for it before. This comes as no surprise, since our society feeds off of judgments. As each day passes, the bar is quickly raised higher. We’ve reached a point of polarization where there are almost no people belonging…

Photo by Mohamed Kassem, Edited by Yara Alsayes    Superficiality is surely embedding itself within our society. From preventing veiled women from entering public spaces, to judging people based on the brands they can afford and parties they go to rather than on their achievements and characters, our society has become extremely shallow.   Nothing…

Edited by Yara Alsayes   Are you stuck in Cairo this Eid? Whether you feel like relaxing, being a little adventurous, partying the night away or listening to some live music, we’ve got you covered! Here are some fun ideas to enjoy this Eid holiday in Cairo.   For the Party Animals: XO Thursday at…

Edited by Yara Alsayes   All over the streets of Cairo, talented craftsmen lay out their beautiful handworks, created with meticulous artistry, for sale. Using the sidewalk as their store, the by-passer becomes their buyer. The unique, colorful, artistic yet practical products they present are guaranteed to beautifully enrich your home. So, if you ever…