49 Examples Of How The Same Products Look In The West VS. Middle-East

Published 7 years ago

Bikinis and mini-skirts may be commonplace in the Western world, but the Middle-East is a slightly different story. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran enforce strict modesty laws on women in keeping with Islamic tradition and prohibit any skin other than the face and hands from showing. These restrictions even apply to Britney and Madonna, as it turns out.

Wearing sexy, revealing clothing is a great way to sell pretty much anything in North America. When these steamy images make their way into Islamic territories via media and advertisements, however, they’re required to be toned down before they can be released to the public. In most cases, religious police in charge of censorship – known as mutaween – just take a big old Sharpie to Mariah’s midriff or Shakira’s shoulders. Recently, however, they’ve started to get a little creative with Photoshop, and even made headlines last week for replacing a woman in a pool ad with a beach ball. A+ for effort!

Check out the best, the worst, and the funniest edited images for sensitive audiences below, and just try to tell us that J-Lo isn’t totally rocking those permanent marker pants.

(h/t: boredpanda)

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#1 Christina Aguilera – Lotus

Image source: amazon.com

#2 Mariah Carey – #1’s

Image source: unknown.

#3 Pool Ad

Image source: unknown.

#4 Shakira – Oral Fixation

Image source: amazon.com

#5 Nirvana – Nevermind

Image source: amazon.com,discogs.com

#6 Britney Spears – Oops!…I Did It Again

Image source: amazon.com,discogs.com

#7 Justin Bieber – Purpose

Image source: amazon.com

#8 Christina Aguilera – Stripped

Image source: amazon.com,discogs.com

#9 Lady Gaga – Do What U Want

Image source: amazon.com

#10 Miley Cyrus – Bangerz

Image source: amazon.com

#11 Mariah Carey – Butterfly

Image source: amazon.com

#12 Britney Spears Greatest Hits: My Prerogative

Image source: amazon.comcoolsboi

#13 Censored Floaties In Saudi Arabia

Image source: thekulas.blogspot.lt

#14 Jennifer Paige – Jennifer Paige

Image source: amazon.com

#15 Lady Gaga – Artpop

Image source: amazon.com

#16 Lady Gaga – The Remix

Image source: amazon.com

#17 Rihanna’s Perfume Ad In Kuwait

Image source: ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com

#18 Toni Braxton – More Than A Woman

Image source: amazon.com

#19 Kylie Minogue – Light Years

Image source: amazon.comeil.com

#20 Riana Grande – My Everything

Image source: amazon.com

#21 Madonna – Hard Candy

Image source: amazon.com

#22 Gisele Bundchen’s H&M Ad Campaign Censored For Middle East

Image source: unnown.

#23 Geri Halliwell – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster

Image source: amazon.comdiscogs.com

#24 Jennifer Lopez – On The 6

Image source: amazon.commoaksey

#25 Melanie B – Hot

Image source: amazon.comdiscogs.com

#26 Mariah Carey – #1’s

Image source: amazon.comdiscogs.com

#27 Back Cover Of Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now’

Image source: amazon.comSusie of Arabia

#28 Mariah Carey – The Art Of Letting Go

Image source: Mariah Carey

#29 Gloria Estefan – Abriendo Puertas

Image source: Mariah Carey

#30 Katy Perry – One Of The Boys

Image source: amazon.com

#31 Shakira – Shakira

Image source: amazon.com

#32 Clarks Ad In Kuwait On The Left (It Is Allowed To Show Knees And Women Without A Headscarf) And In Saudi Arabia On The Right (It’s Not Allowed)

Image source: harpers.org

#33 Britney Spears – Circus

Image source: amazon.com,susiesbigadventure.blogspot.lt

#34 Mariah Carey – Glitter

Image source: amazon.com

#35 Toni Braxton – The Heat

Image source: amazon.com

#36 Shakira – Laundry Service

Image source: amazon.comdiscogs.com

#37 Sex Pistols – Flogging A Dead Horse

Image source: discogs.com

#38 Rihanna – Unapologetic

Image source: amazon.comhotMCfan

#39 Mariah Carey – Rainbow

Image source: amazon.com

#40 Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey

Image source: unknown.

#41 Britney Spears – Britney

Image source: discogs.comzurbi

#42 This Huge Advertisement With Blurred Woman’s Face In A Mall Of Jeddah

Image source: susieofarabia.blogspot.lt

#43 Solid Harmonie – I’ll Be There For You

Image source: unknown.

#44 TLC – Unpretty

Image source: amazon.com

#45 Shakira – She Wolf

Image source: amazon.com,discogs.com

#46 Censored Marie Claire Magazine In Saudi Arabia

Image source: educationincultureshock.blogspot.lt

#47 Demi Lovato – Demi

Image source: amazon.comabi

#48 Mariah Carey – Emotions

Image source: unknown.

#49 Hasna – Bamba

Image source: discogs.com

Andrius

In cahoots with the secret orde...
With nobody. In cahoots with nobody.

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middle east censorship, middle east laws, modesty laws, saudi arabia censored cd covers, saudi arabia censorship
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