LONDON: Tunisian model Hanaa Ben Abdesslem has become the first-ever Muslim face of Lancome. The 22-year-old will be featured in a new campaign for Teint Idole Ultra 24h foundation. The move has the young model poised for international stardom after she made her runway debut last year for Vivienne Westwood. The young model hopes her success will help galvanize other Arab women to break the stereotype mold and believe in modeling as a career. After coming in second on the Lebanese equivalent of reality show Project Runway, Abdesslem, who shuns drinking and smoking, signed with modelling agency IMG. She told New York Magazine: “(People in Tunisia) have this misconception of what modeling is about. “Modeling can be a career choice, too. I plan to change this misconception within my culture,” she added. She continued to say that she hopes to expose “the true challenges of the modeling profession for the Arab world.” She could come up against some barriers, but for her, Tunisia is one of the more liberal Arab countries, where women are less likely to don the headscarf and where female political participation is higher than their fellow Middle Eastern countries. Still, there remains some antagonism toward modeling in general. “There is a growing tide of sentiments in this part of the world toward women and what they can and can't do with their bodies,” said university professor Mariam Sabry. She told Bikyamasr.com that “women like Abdesslem can help to change these perceptions, but only if they are willing to constantly maintain open channels back home.” Sabry argued that the rising conservatism in the country and across the region “means we will see a lot of hateful comments directed at models and women in the spotlight, calling them sluts and whores, so we must be prepared for this.” Either way, the young Tunisian is powering on as the international symbol for Lancome and appears to have a career set forth. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/8nTsj Tags: Hanaa Ben Abdesslem Section: Entertainment, Latest News, Religion, Tunisia, Women
