What I learned in School Today…

So, as I kid, I would come home to the same question almost every day. “Deeje, what did you learn in school today?” I would usually reply with the standard “Nothing”, since really the things I learned were rarely academic. (No one wants to hear about the kid who put pepper up his nose, which was really way more important to a 3^rd grader then how to spell ironic.)

Therefore, to reward my very patient parents, who have been waiting almost 15 years for me to tell them what I learned in school, here it goes.

Why the Belly Dancing Costume does not originate in Arabic Culture:

The following is a picture of a belly dancing costume commonly purchased by tourists in the souks. Ask any native Moroccan, and they will tell you that this is not in any way traditional grab. See photo.

                                                        

Typical costume sold to tourists 

You can then trace to costume to Egypt, where, in the late 1920s, a very famous "belly dancing" club was opened by Badia Masabni. The original costume she dressed her girls in was much more “traditional” and full coverage grab, similar to that seen below:

Note the full coverage body suit

The customers of Masabni, mostly British soldiers or American tourists, told her that her belly dancing costumes where not “real”. Of course the British and Americans figured they knew Arabic culture better than the people who actually lived there. So why did those British and Americans have a preconceived notion of what middle eastern women wore?  Why, Hollywood of course. Early TV and films featured women in skimpy, exotic clothes similar to those from this movie:

Son of the Sheik, 1926

Hollywood, was not the first to dress "typical Arab women" in such garb. They were inspired by paintings from the 19^th century, paintings such as the following: 

Sabre Dance at the Cafe by Jean Leon Gerome 1876

Gerome HAD actually visited Turkey and painted many scenes he found there. However, it is doubtful that the costumes above were commonly worn by women there.  

From Fes to Cairo, to Hollywood and back to a French artist from the 19th century, the Belly Dancing costume has made quite the journey. I’ll leave the history of the dance for another time.

 PS.. I’ll probably come home with one of those British inspired, Hollywood created, Americanized, Arabic Belly Dancing costumes. No Halloween party would be complete without one!