“I wouldn't do nudity in films. To act with my clothes on is a performance. To act with my clothes is a documentary,” American actress Julia Roberts once commented. Julia Roberts is an internationally known star and she has vowed not to be nude in film. To some, this is a very righteous and commendable act; but to others, specifically in the Arab world, she is seen as an actress who has already done nudity. In her breakout role as the title character of “Pretty Woman” (1990), Roberts plays a down-on-her-luck Hollywood prostitute named Vivian Ward who is hired by a wealthy businessman, Edward Lewis, to be his escort for several business and social functions. The film chronicles their developing relationship over the course of Vivian's week long stay with him. Although there was no nudity in this Gar Marshall directed film, it was nevertheless seen as such in the Arab world: scenes of her in the bath tub and wearing “revealing clothes” counted as “nudity”. Although these scenes resemble a lot of what the music videos look like today, there seems to be a different standard for cinema and the music world. Regardless, the film was seen as great success not just to American audiences, but to Egyptian ones as well. The film was remade twice, once as a film called Al-Jeans (The Jeans, 1994), starring Jala Fahmy and Farouq Al-Fishawy; this was rated “Adults Only,” since it tried to follow the original story closely. The other one was a toned-down version starring Elham Shahin and Mustafa Fahmy called Khadima we Lakan… (“A Maid, but...,” 1993) The “Adults Only” film starred an actress who is known for doing “nudity”, and although Jala Fahmy's stardom has dulled, many other actresses have emerged as what the media likes to called “ Actresses of Seduction”. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, there have been many interviews and discussions about inappropriate clothing and scenes in films, and especially on television, since the latter's number of viewers is much bigger, and the Ramadan season in particular has the highest viewership of any other time. In every interview with an actress where she is asked about whether she has considered doing nudity or will not do nudity, they always ask “will you wear a swimsuit?” I don't get the fascination with what's wrong with a swimsuit. All the great starlets wore revealing clothes, and no one either then or now says anything about it, because it was done in good taste. For example, there was the “queen of beauty and seduction”, Hind Rostum. People still say how beautiful she was, and how her seduction never got on anyone's nerves. Hind Rostum is more beautiful than most of the actresses working today, but her clothes and the other actresses' attire during her time weren't upsetting because most people during that period dressed like that. People wouldn't get upset over how an actress dressed if everyone dressed the same as them. But nowadays, when someone is wears swimsuit, or short dress, or whatever, the average Egyptian considers this to be unacceptable clothing. Such clothing is seen as “out of place,” and improper because most of the general public doesn't dress that way anymore …quot; in fact, the general public couldn't dress more opposite to what is seen on film and television. That previous fact shouldn't dictate what actors wear on film and television. The wardrobe of a character, whatever it may be, should accompany what the role requires of that actor to wear to fit the character. In art, the old saying of “clothes make the man” becomes not only true, but actually intricate to understanding that character, aspects of their personality, and also authenticity. For example, let's say that a hypothetical film shows a rich man who wears average clothes because inside, he doesn't think of himself as different from anyone else. Would the audience be able to access that part of the character's personality if the actor portraying him refused to wear anything but designer clothes? Or, if an actor is portraying a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, would people really believe that he's a member if the actor refuses to grow a beard or wear their trademark clothes? On the other hand, whenever an actress gives the reason of why she had to wear a revealing dress or a swimsuit as “the role required it,” the backlash doesn't stop, and these actresses are still seen as betrayers of their religion. The working actresses of today who are seen as “actresses of seduction” are Ghada Abdel Razeq, Ola Ghanim, Somaya el-Khashab, and even Abeer Sabry. The last one mentioned is a different story and the backlash against her is stronger because she used to wear the hijab (an Islamic veil) and has taken it off. Men, however, don't seem to be on the receiving end of any backlash, regardless of their presence in these films. For example, Hany Salama, who has been part of such controversial films such as Al-Rayis Omar Harb (Chief Omar Harb, 2008), Khiyana Mashru'a (Justified Betrayal, 2006) and Al-Akhar (The Other, 1999) hasn't had the same kind of negativity that the actresses he acted with faced. This is unsurprising, though, since Arab culture doesn't see the man who plays a seductive role as betraying his God. It would be interesting to see those who strongly oppose the way women dress on film write a script for a film and chose the wardrobe; what would they have them wear? Probably everyone would be dressed the same, because that's the message being sent. The purpose of this article is neither to oppose nor advocate revealing clothes in film, or nudity, that isn't a concern of mine or matter or importance on my radar. Rather, it's to say that all the talk about what an actress should wear or shouldn't, whether she'll wear a bikini or a one piece …quot; it's what will be the next headline. This is all a distraction from what the film might really be about. Drama entails some kind of realism, even though it might be exaggerated, and this kind of talk redirects attention away from what a film might actually be trying to say. It destroys any attempt at believability and replaces it with appeasing people's preconceptions. This is not the job of the filmmaker. It's also a distraction from the bigger picture: the drama of life which is the topic that all films address at their core, and that's what the public should really be paying attention to in these films. Despite this, most of the concern seems to revolve around how short Ola Ghanim's skirt is.
