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49 Pics That Reveal How The Same Products And Images Look In The West Vs. Middle-East
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.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Christina Aguilera - Lotus
RELATED:
#2
Mariah Carey - #1's
#3
Pool Ad
#4
Shakira - Oral Fixation
#5
Justin Bieber - Purpose
#6
Britney Spears - Oops!...I Did It Again
#7
Christina Aguilera - Stripped
#8
Lady Gaga - Do What U Want
#9
Nirvana - Nevermind
#10
Miley Cyrus - Bangerz
#11
Mariah Carey - Butterfly
#12
Britney Spears Greatest Hits: My Prerogative
#13
Jennifer Paige - Jennifer Paige
M O'Connell 7 years ago
At least it's done better than many of the others. And it's a legit style. I probably wouldn't have noticed.
#14
Rihanna's Perfume Ad In Kuwait
#15
Lady Gaga - Artpop
#16
Riana Grande - My Everything
#17
Censored Floaties In Saudi Arabia
#18
Lady Gaga - The Remix
#19
Gisele Bundchen's H&M Ad Campaign Censored For Middle East
#20
Madonna - Hard Candy
#21
Toni Braxton - More Than A Woman
Bianka Nagy 7 years ago
More than a woman, less than a man, apparently... go ahead, give me all the thumbs down :)
#22
Mariah Carey - The Art Of Letting Go
#23
Kylie Minogue - Light Years
#24
Geri Halliwell - Scream If You Wanna Go Faster
#25
Jennifer Lopez - On The 6
#26
Melanie B - Hot
#27
Shakira - Shakira
#28
Mariah Carey - #1's
#29
Back Cover Of Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now'
Patricie Sh. 7 years ago
In Asia and Africa contrast and mix of different bold colours is what they call pretty. ;) https://www.google.cz/search?q=africa+clothing&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiXj6qX-73UAhWJ2BoKHTyXBiUQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=662
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#30
Gloria Estefan - Abriendo Puertas
Zenozenobee 7 years ago
Come on! the original one was way less provocative than the Lady Gaga remix cover after they added strips!
#32
Katy Perry - One Of The Boys
Vickie Martin 7 years ago
No kidding...she can kiss a girl and like it but not be seen in shorts ahahaha
#33
Toni Braxton - The Heat
#34
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)
#35
Sex Pistols - Flogging A Dead Horse
#37
Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey
#38
Shakira - Laundry Service
Kate Brannan 7 years ago
Strange that women in the music business have to get their baps out and show this much skin when thr same isnt expected of men. Not saying skin censorship is the way, however. We need to ask ourselves, why? Oh yeah, sex sells. And i thought that it was the music which spoke for itself. Obv im muchos wrong, wrong, wrong xx
#39
Mariah Carey - Rainbow
#40
Rihanna - Unapologetic
#41
Britney Spears - Britney
#42
This Huge Advertisement With Blurred Woman's Face In A Mall Of Jeddah
#43
Shakira - She Wolf
#44
Censored Marie Claire Magazine In Saudi Arabia
#45
Solid Harmonie - I'll Be There For You
#46
Tlc - Unpretty
Kate Brannan 7 years ago
This is the first iv ever heard about this Sharpie form of fashiom. Maybe its cos... As long as the records are getting sold, no artist actually really minds. Lesson learned= money is the real religion of the masses x
#47
Demi Lovato - Demi
#48
Mariah Carey - Emotions
#49
Hasna - Bamba
Add New Image
What do you think ?
MidS 7 years ago
This is interesting. I've lived in Dubai all my life and this never happens here. Our tabloids are filled with pictures you'd deem 'westernized'. I find the title misleading. Not every Middle East country is like this.
Nora Noriega 7 years ago
Hany Osman, consult a map, Israel is in Asia, the Middle East, to be exact.
Jeanne Richard 7 years ago
I was pretty skeptical of the article and edits, glad to hear from not just you, but others here from some of the countries out there.
Jkcanewton 7 years ago
I see the covers, but what about the lyrics? They are just as bad sometimes. I'm really surprised that some of these are even sold there.
Adam Havlík 7 years ago
Hanzo, all I meant was that the English lyrics might not be considered as offensive as these images because English isn't a first language there. Most of the world sings English-language songs they don't necessarily understand - I see it here in the Czech Republic every day...
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panda 7 years ago
They did not learn English yet, so the lyrics are fine. Then after they will probably play just the music 😂
Blue Cicada 7 years ago
Havlik, are you serious?! RARELY have I met a M Easterner who doesn't speak English, French or German. 2nd/3rd lang is std part of education
Cindy Martinson 7 years ago
Although i don't agree with such a degred of censorship it does remove some if not most of the objectification of woman. The objectification of any living creature is disgusting.
Rivkaka 7 years ago
One of the women is literally morphed into a beachball. A beachball = a woman seems like the literal definition of objectification....
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Miranda Marie 7 years ago
I don't think she means all of them. But you have to admit some of these edits look way better than the original like Miley Cyrus. She's not even wearing pants in the original in the edit the long skirt looks nice.
jha13 7 years ago
Disgusting as the genital mutilation and stoning of women that happen on islamic midle eastern countries. Feminisn is incompatible with Islam.
Ivan Vdović 7 years ago
Most of those countries were fairly advanced in the 60-s and 70-s. Then the us came, and toppled normal governments to replace than with the Taliban and the like. You reap what you sow.
Didon Zenith 7 years ago
Actually that's false. The interpretation of some of the texts make for very a very sexist situation, but it doesn't mean that it's the only interpretation. A beautiful movie called "The Source" show it very clearly. Also, those things are not mutual or exclusive to the Islamic religion. A young woman was shot in France by her Portuguese father because she came home on the bike of a man, genital mutilations have also been practiced for generations in diverse places including Africa. Stop using feminism as an excuse for your Islamophobia please.
Moriah Van't Land 4 years ago
🌸.+Feminism is illegal in Saudi Arabia because it allows evil lurking everywhere so everybody will be all in great danger+.🌸
jha13 7 years ago
Dropping the Islamophobia bomb are ya? haha, I am not a feminist, #FeminismIsCancer, but #IslamIsCancer too.In non Islamic countries there are few, ver, very few cases of genital mutilation, familial gang raping and genital mutilation, but only in islamic countries it's a standard. So, do not tell me I am an islamophonebe when islamic countries are misogynistic, and remember, I am NOT a feminist, I disagree with it's b******t, but I disagree with Islam more.
Ehsan Es 7 years ago
This! Thank you for this! Not all countries in middle-east wear hijabs and I'm not opinionated they should, but west is as a matter of fact the opposite evil.
Heather K. 7 years ago
Not to mention the blatant photo editing to make the women appear thinner, curvier, more "appealing" (unrealistic).
Mars 7 years ago
all this has done is made me realise how popstars feel the need to dress provocatively to sell
nuttyballoon 7 years ago
An improvement for the world of pop music. Let the music sell itself!
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Naima Ivansdóttir 7 years ago
mariah carey's already SO shopped you can barely notice the differences :D
Maciek Ravs 7 years ago
This article is somehow biased.. 90 % of it is about some naked shallow pop stars.. Most people are tierd of them anyway.. Show how regular women are totally cuted out from public apparence like in the case of IKEA catalogue.
Maciek Ravs 7 years ago
http://www.marcelgagne.com/content/ikea-and-starbucks-bow-down-islamic-misogyny
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Amy Tarleton 7 years ago
I'm all for free speech and expression, but MODEST IS HOTTEST. The photoshops are ridiculous, but yay for modesty.
Phillip Jan 7 years ago
No one asked. Instead of tearing women down for not being "modest", you could work on your internalized mysoginy lol
José Alejandro Díaz Bravo 7 years ago
That made me think... why so many women skin in music album covers? isn't those about music?
Rosa Greyhound 7 years ago
Because to put it simply, skin sells. It's worse with women but often you will see a shirtless man on album covers e.g. Justin Bieber
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Miklós Nagy 7 years ago
It's acutually worse with men, because you can put them half naked on the cover, but try expose a woman nipple (the thing which literally gives food to our babies) and you just get it labeled as pornographic.
Cees Timmerman 7 years ago
Love, sex, money, and power are popular, and much pop music is about that.
Miklós Nagy 7 years ago
Solomon the wise said it once, those who hate women's body are in love with guys.
Vincent Tiggelman 7 years ago
All that money and they couldn't pay for any decent photoshoppers?
Blue Cicada 7 years ago
In US we're obsessed w appearances of women, judge their character by their clothing, encourage them to expose their skin. Brains? Who cares
David Bonanno 7 years ago
So you want women's brains exposed instead?? Gross!
Load More Replies... Blue Cicada 7 years ago
Yes. We want women's intelligence to be the most important factor noticed.
Adam Havlík 7 years ago
Hi Blue, I can't answer your reply above, but I just noticed my comment has a typo - I meant English-speaking COUNTRIES. The whole world is obviously chock-full of people with English as a second language, but even my most advanced students and native speakers sometimes have difficulty understanding singing...
Julie Julie 7 years ago
1) this makes me realize how many music related products showcase half naked (or fully naked) females - quite sad really when you're supposedly selling your voice 2) they should up skill their image editing staff because many of those are very poorly made
Maciek Ravs 7 years ago
You can add to this list Ikea catalog and Starbucks logo... presence of women not allowed. Google it.
Maciek Ravs 7 years ago
http://www.marcelgagne.com/content/ikea-and-starbucks-bow-down-islamic-misogyny
Jerry Mathers 7 years ago
I'm curious how they censor the internet in countries like this. Do they block sites or just have a group of approved websites to visit.
Sweep the Leg 7 years ago
"Bad" sites are censored, but everyone knows how to get around it. My Turkish students had no shame telling me they knew how to get around the blocks to access porn.
Bo Ek 7 years ago
This is b******t. Fake click baits. If I'm wrong, please show me one single link to a "middle east" music site containing any of the censored version in this post....
Virgil Blue 7 years ago
Kind of related: I work in advertising and for the Arabian version of a box of Dutch stroopwafels we had to replace the image of a painted tile featuring an antique drawing of a Dutch boy and girl in wooden shoes kissing with something else because the because our customer was told shops would refuse to sell them otherwise. Other images if a windmill, boat and guy on a horse were fine. The boxes are currently in pre production so I'm not allowed to show you at this time for job reasons.
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Marvel Yana 7 years ago
What a f*****g backward culture ... and they claim this to be accepted in this 21st century!
Linda Martin 7 years ago
Some of the cover-ups are pretty bad. I am surprised the artists don't just do 2 cover shoots. One for each market. It would be much better for their image and they would have creative control.
Mishka 7 years ago
This is interesting. I just remembered they also censored the ad of Givenchy's "Ange ou demon" perfume, moreover then even changed the name to "Ange ou etrange". Apparently, it is forbidden to even mention a demon. ange-59415...d72959.jpg 
Greg Easter 7 years ago
It isn't the Middle Eastern governments that are doing this, people. It is the companies marketing there. They could refuse to change the art, but they cave in to these bass-ackward retards.
Yokai Fuzen 7 years ago
this is exaggerated they don't have this much of censoring however censoring is everywhere go see the difference between yugioh cards in japan and usa
Ron DeFulio II 7 years ago
Repost this as a photoshop-fail article and you'll have a winner, lol.
Diane Moffatt 7 years ago
I must be getting old - I prefer the second images - the others look kind of cheap.
Patrick Dilla 7 years ago
One thing's for sure about here. Mariah Carey's albums are rocking the Middle East!
Rhiannon Jane 5 months ago
The pearl clutchers really came out in force for some of the comments on this post.
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Ken Anderson 5 years ago
Religious observance takes many forms and I have no quarrel with how any one person chooses to worship or keep faith. But the imposition of those beliefs on others who would otherwise choose another means of expressing their faith--be it the wearing of a hijab in Saudi Arabia or reproductive rights in the USA--is simply tyranny. And such tyranny does not prove the strength of their leaders' convictions, but rather their doubts in a faith weak enough to require being propped up by legal punishments. It brings shame upon them and diminishes God.
Hollie Wagers 7 years ago
I don't buy it. Who is taking the time to censor all these products? Do you know how long that would take...😂
Charles Fayad 7 years ago
Yo u should see Lebanon it's becoming distracting for drivers the ads we don t have this cover
Marvel Yana 7 years ago
I´m surprised that they didnt covered Shakira, Christina and Britney with a bloody burka ...
Sofien Trimech 7 years ago
I'm Tunisian and I've never seen this before, this may exist In Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, something like that :D :D :D
Omar Okeil 7 years ago
While I definitely find these photos ridiculously outrageous, I'm also kind of sad to notice how sexualized the music industry has become, leaving little room for original artists who won't show skin for a living, regardless of how talented they are. "I make music for ears, not eyes." Adele.
Vice Grey 7 years ago
It's a lie, to some degree on music albums at least here in Lebanon, if there is skin showing it'd still look the same on the album but if there is any religious reference; example a picture of the mother Mary it'd just be vandalized or colored over with paint and/or marker, it's moronic I agree but hey that's just the way it works here apparently.
Tech Addict 7 years ago
These are all fake.. Bad photoshop work.. Common boredpanda where are your editors?
Sherri Robinson 7 years ago
How do we know that this is accurate? Where is this info from? The Lady Gaga album has "ft. R. Kelly" written on bottom of one, what is that about? I don't know how trustworthy this is
Moriah Van't Land 4 years ago
🌸.+Women are said to be the most evil creature in the world, Religions also said they women are evil so they need to be silenced+.🌸
Kikka io 7 years ago
I do not agree with the excessive use of the female body to sell things of every kind, but I also think that a woman must be free to do what she wants with her body, including discovering it if she wants it, in the picture That live. It really makes me angry that women are forced into this sort of cowardice. And the worst thing is that in the Koran it is not written anywhere that the woman must be so mortified, as there is no script, the attacks must be done to honor the prophet, but I do not think anyone who does this has it Bed on the coral, as heard by his religious representative.
Griselle Lugo 7 years ago
What surprises me more is that these artists are not totally censored in these countries. I mean, they censor their album covers but, what about the contents of them? Hmmmm....!!
Martin van der Louw 7 years ago
I think if certain conservative groups (not just in the USA) had it their way we would see the same in the western countries
Jilltdcatlady 7 years ago
I'm for the more modest covers. As an 80s/ 90s teen, a lot of these were the must haves. Now that I'm an adult and they are coming out with Greatest Hits, I feel like a perv because I have a hard time making out the warped print thru the wrapper and case. The concentration on the words look I'm leering at the pics.
Miranda Marie 7 years ago
You people should know this is not the norm for middle eastern countries most of them don't do this.
Miranda Marie 7 years ago
Some of these edits actually look better than the original! (some look down right ridiculous)
R Joseph Owles 7 years ago
The only one that I found interesting was the one where they completely removed the woman (mother?) from the pool and replaced her with an inflatable toy. If they could put extra clothes on the man and the children, why not the woman? Why is she replaced with a thing?
Jerry Joseph 7 years ago
#ProperPerspective revealed in this Limited Physical #DivineComedy we are Currently Experiencing ~~ From my Purposeful Research, I find that Censorship and Objectification are two 'Extremes' that would be Most Productively Experienced in Moderation. After examining from the Cultural Perspective, I Understand more the Reason behind these Creative Modifications. Seek and You Shall Find... and only the TRUTH shall set you Free ~~ Peace Be The Journey #ProductiveEngagement #CreativeSolutions #DivineBirthright #DivineFriendship | 777ADVENTURES
Doncho Popkrustev 7 years ago
Haha , Nirvana and censorship - that Nevermind cover is soooo badly photoshopped! C'mon guys, Kurt would never allow that s**t! Yes, he agreed to alter song title for Rape Me to be suitable for minors, but covering baby genetalies is absurd!!!
Yasmin Yasin 7 years ago
I don't understand.. The amount of clothes you able to be without= the amount of freedom you have?
Marvel Yana 7 years ago
It´s about the freedom to wear whatever you want. It´s about not considering human body (especially female human body) as a sin just because a bunch of thick-head men say so.
N/A N/A 7 years ago
Apart from the overall sexualization of women that s pretty normal on the media these days (and that's fine, I don't condemn), most of transformations are ridiculous. But as a woman, #44 really makes me sad. As it depicts accurately that woman don't have rights, credit, opinions, freedom, access to values and information, etc, etc, etc as any other human being would (for human being I mean men). Is this the forest we've come? Sad...
Hugo Raible 7 years ago
It's an interesting experiment. Once you get mostly rid of the "sex sells" part, how much ist left? How do sales change if you stop putting naked people on the front?
Katrina Harris 7 years ago
I prefer the censored images... except the beach floats. That was weird. But they look better in the censored versions!
rick hctep (Rick45) 7 years ago
What a total load of Bol****s, It's different when you see what their menfolk get up to, including the goats and the old men bending over for a young Arab, dirty fu***s all of them but their women can't bare an arm or leg like they did in the 1970's till they voted that Ayertoller ( however it is spelt ) and he took them back a 1000 years.
Betty Morgan Singer 7 years ago
Most of the ones for the Middle-East are really much more beautiful; except the one of the family in the pool, where being fully clothed seems silly.
Joe Kobersy 7 years ago
Most of these "censored" images are never seen in Middle Easter countries, except for very preservative countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Jim Parrillo 7 years ago
Most of these are all HORRIBLY photoshopped and all with the same errors... (ie. improperly matched lighting and shadows, clothing does not adequately follow body contours) It's really poor quality and not the kind of work that music companies (who HIGHLY scrutinize artist images) usually do when they put together album covers. Makes me think this whole article is a fake.
Dragan Šprem 7 years ago
What is it with these half naked girls on the CD covers, anyways? Are they selling music, or their bodies? Do they get secret funds from pr0n sites?
Ali Halabi 7 years ago
this is only in Saudi Arabia not the middle east! this doesn't happen in Jordan/ Egypt/ Lebanon/etc...
Gracita Gouverneur 7 years ago
Watching these I just keep thinking that they have a closet full of clothes handing out to these celebs saying: "here, cover up" or do a close up and they all have frowns on their faces. hahahaha I cant help it.
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Dolan Nohere 7 years ago
This literally looks like the photoshop work of a 14 year old on a 2 day adderall bender. Jesus christ.
BRTiger 7 years ago
this s**t shouldn't even be allowed in the middle east to begin with. if americans love to create cultural garbage, better keep it to themselves.
Sarah Lennie 7 years ago
They didn't force overseas companies to buy; supply and demand... If the culture offends so much, remove yourself from the Internet.
Yasmin Yasin 7 years ago
Yeah a great job with great salary , paid vacation, free healthcare and no taxes, that's the worst!
Yasmin Yasin 7 years ago
This is pretty ridiculous, most of these ads have shirts photoshopped onto the men and blurred out the children's face.. it's not a sexist thing if it's being done to everybody. They blur out a child's face so you say they are against children? It's about having a religion and following that teaching that tells us to be modest. I feel bad for women that show off all their body to feel beautiful or to get attention from men. See the difference for a man to see a woman's body and be attracted or for a man to be attracted to her face and personality. It's disrespectful for a woman to show her body , but not because it "offends" men, it offends the lady because she has dignity she feels shame. Don't you think men would rather us women all walk around naked? I have an hourglass body but I feel no need to show it off to the world, I break out my tight dress when my husband gets home , because his opinion is the only one that matters to me. I would feel really uncomfortable with men staring:/
Belinda Matson 7 years ago
Why not blur the mans face too? Reminded me of the phrase "Children should be seen & not heard" but THIS is "Only men will be seen & heard"
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Emmanouil Trigenis 7 years ago
Yasmin Yasin , it seems you are in complete denial!! You may be right with the west sometimes overdoing it when showing skin, but it's their right to do so. Maybe it bothers you that women in other countries actually have rights and are not someone's property like poor women in most Islamic countries are!! Look again lady. There are not any blurred children's or men's faces only women's. In the pool ad the woman is replaced with a beach ball. You think is out of respect? Think again. Are men then disrespected when their face or bodies are shown?Who are men are trying to seduce with their face and bodies? Maybe other women.Fair would be if also men hid their faces and could only be seen in the house by the wives. You call this freedom?I don't think so. Google Islamic countries in the 70s before the talibans came before you answer me.Its your right to live like a slave but don't try and convince us that our way is actually worst than what you are daily living.
Yasmin Yasin 7 years ago
Apparently you're not well traveled, why don't you go and live in middle east where I ,along with the other women are treated as queens and then come back and talk to me. I don't understand those that think showing off your body parts for all to see= freedom.
Inga Ko (Post author) 7 years ago
There are always sources provided at the bottom of each image, but you have to understand that sometimes it's just impossible to find some of them. Also, if there's a big doubt about the realness of an image, we simply don't put it in the post. If you know any source that I didn't link, let me know, it will be fixed immediately. Capture-59...b6d2b4.jpg 
Adam Havlík 7 years ago
Says the one who thinks the Middle East is a country.
Load More Replies... MidS 7 years ago
This is interesting. I've lived in Dubai all my life and this never happens here. Our tabloids are filled with pictures you'd deem 'westernized'. I find the title misleading. Not every Middle East country is like this.
Nora Noriega 7 years ago
Hany Osman, consult a map, Israel is in Asia, the Middle East, to be exact.
Jeanne Richard 7 years ago
I was pretty skeptical of the article and edits, glad to hear from not just you, but others here from some of the countries out there.
Jkcanewton 7 years ago
I see the covers, but what about the lyrics? They are just as bad sometimes. I'm really surprised that some of these are even sold there.
Adam Havlík 7 years ago
Hanzo, all I meant was that the English lyrics might not be considered as offensive as these images because English isn't a first language there. Most of the world sings English-language songs they don't necessarily understand - I see it here in the Czech Republic every day...
Load More Replies... panda 7 years ago
They did not learn English yet, so the lyrics are fine. Then after they will probably play just the music 😂
Blue Cicada 7 years ago
Havlik, are you serious?! RARELY have I met a M Easterner who doesn't speak English, French or German. 2nd/3rd lang is std part of education
Cindy Martinson 7 years ago
Although i don't agree with such a degred of censorship it does remove some if not most of the objectification of woman. The objectification of any living creature is disgusting.
Rivkaka 7 years ago
One of the women is literally morphed into a beachball. A beachball = a woman seems like the literal definition of objectification....
Load More Replies... Miranda Marie 7 years ago
I don't think she means all of them. But you have to admit some of these edits look way better than the original like Miley Cyrus. She's not even wearing pants in the original in the edit the long skirt looks nice.
jha13 7 years ago
Disgusting as the genital mutilation and stoning of women that happen on islamic midle eastern countries. Feminisn is incompatible with Islam.
Ivan Vdović 7 years ago
Most of those countries were fairly advanced in the 60-s and 70-s. Then the us came, and toppled normal governments to replace than with the Taliban and the like. You reap what you sow.
Didon Zenith 7 years ago
Actually that's false. The interpretation of some of the texts make for very a very sexist situation, but it doesn't mean that it's the only interpretation. A beautiful movie called "The Source" show it very clearly. Also, those things are not mutual or exclusive to the Islamic religion. A young woman was shot in France by her Portuguese father because she came home on the bike of a man, genital mutilations have also been practiced for generations in diverse places including Africa. Stop using feminism as an excuse for your Islamophobia please.
Moriah Van't Land 4 years ago
🌸.+Feminism is illegal in Saudi Arabia because it allows evil lurking everywhere so everybody will be all in great danger+.🌸
jha13 7 years ago
Dropping the Islamophobia bomb are ya? haha, I am not a feminist, #FeminismIsCancer, but #IslamIsCancer too.In non Islamic countries there are few, ver, very few cases of genital mutilation, familial gang raping and genital mutilation, but only in islamic countries it's a standard. So, do not tell me I am an islamophonebe when islamic countries are misogynistic, and remember, I am NOT a feminist, I disagree with it's b******t, but I disagree with Islam more.
Ehsan Es 7 years ago
This! Thank you for this! Not all countries in middle-east wear hijabs and I'm not opinionated they should, but west is as a matter of fact the opposite evil.
Heather K. 7 years ago
Not to mention the blatant photo editing to make the women appear thinner, curvier, more "appealing" (unrealistic).
Mars 7 years ago
all this has done is made me realise how popstars feel the need to dress provocatively to sell
nuttyballoon 7 years ago
An improvement for the world of pop music. Let the music sell itself!
Load More Replies... Naima Ivansdóttir 7 years ago
mariah carey's already SO shopped you can barely notice the differences :D
Maciek Ravs 7 years ago
This article is somehow biased.. 90 % of it is about some naked shallow pop stars.. Most people are tierd of them anyway.. Show how regular women are totally cuted out from public apparence like in the case of IKEA catalogue.
Maciek Ravs 7 years ago
http://www.marcelgagne.com/content/ikea-and-starbucks-bow-down-islamic-misogyny
Load More Replies... Amy Tarleton 7 years ago
I'm all for free speech and expression, but MODEST IS HOTTEST. The photoshops are ridiculous, but yay for modesty.
Phillip Jan 7 years ago
No one asked. Instead of tearing women down for not being "modest", you could work on your internalized mysoginy lol
José Alejandro Díaz Bravo 7 years ago
That made me think... why so many women skin in music album covers? isn't those about music?
Rosa Greyhound 7 years ago
Because to put it simply, skin sells. It's worse with women but often you will see a shirtless man on album covers e.g. Justin Bieber
Load More Replies... Miklós Nagy 7 years ago
It's acutually worse with men, because you can put them half naked on the cover, but try expose a woman nipple (the thing which literally gives food to our babies) and you just get it labeled as pornographic.
Cees Timmerman 7 years ago
Love, sex, money, and power are popular, and much pop music is about that.
Miklós Nagy 7 years ago
Solomon the wise said it once, those who hate women's body are in love with guys.
Vincent Tiggelman 7 years ago
All that money and they couldn't pay for any decent photoshoppers?
Blue Cicada 7 years ago
In US we're obsessed w appearances of women, judge their character by their clothing, encourage them to expose their skin. Brains? Who cares
David Bonanno 7 years ago
So you want women's brains exposed instead?? Gross!
Load More Replies... Blue Cicada 7 years ago
Yes. We want women's intelligence to be the most important factor noticed.
Adam Havlík 7 years ago
Hi Blue, I can't answer your reply above, but I just noticed my comment has a typo - I meant English-speaking COUNTRIES. The whole world is obviously chock-full of people with English as a second language, but even my most advanced students and native speakers sometimes have difficulty understanding singing...
Julie Julie 7 years ago
1) this makes me realize how many music related products showcase half naked (or fully naked) females - quite sad really when you're supposedly selling your voice 2) they should up skill their image editing staff because many of those are very poorly made
Maciek Ravs 7 years ago
You can add to this list Ikea catalog and Starbucks logo... presence of women not allowed. Google it.
Maciek Ravs 7 years ago
http://www.marcelgagne.com/content/ikea-and-starbucks-bow-down-islamic-misogyny
Jerry Mathers 7 years ago
I'm curious how they censor the internet in countries like this. Do they block sites or just have a group of approved websites to visit.
Sweep the Leg 7 years ago
"Bad" sites are censored, but everyone knows how to get around it. My Turkish students had no shame telling me they knew how to get around the blocks to access porn.
Bo Ek 7 years ago
This is b******t. Fake click baits. If I'm wrong, please show me one single link to a "middle east" music site containing any of the censored version in this post....
Virgil Blue 7 years ago
Kind of related: I work in advertising and for the Arabian version of a box of Dutch stroopwafels we had to replace the image of a painted tile featuring an antique drawing of a Dutch boy and girl in wooden shoes kissing with something else because the because our customer was told shops would refuse to sell them otherwise. Other images if a windmill, boat and guy on a horse were fine. The boxes are currently in pre production so I'm not allowed to show you at this time for job reasons.
Load More Replies... Marvel Yana 7 years ago
What a f*****g backward culture ... and they claim this to be accepted in this 21st century!
Linda Martin 7 years ago
Some of the cover-ups are pretty bad. I am surprised the artists don't just do 2 cover shoots. One for each market. It would be much better for their image and they would have creative control.
Mishka 7 years ago
This is interesting. I just remembered they also censored the ad of Givenchy's "Ange ou demon" perfume, moreover then even changed the name to "Ange ou etrange". Apparently, it is forbidden to even mention a demon. ange-59415...d72959.jpg
Greg Easter 7 years ago
It isn't the Middle Eastern governments that are doing this, people. It is the companies marketing there. They could refuse to change the art, but they cave in to these bass-ackward retards.
Yokai Fuzen 7 years ago
this is exaggerated they don't have this much of censoring however censoring is everywhere go see the difference between yugioh cards in japan and usa
Ron DeFulio II 7 years ago
Repost this as a photoshop-fail article and you'll have a winner, lol.
Diane Moffatt 7 years ago
I must be getting old - I prefer the second images - the others look kind of cheap.
Patrick Dilla 7 years ago
One thing's for sure about here. Mariah Carey's albums are rocking the Middle East!
Rhiannon Jane 5 months ago
The pearl clutchers really came out in force for some of the comments on this post.
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Ken Anderson 5 years ago
Religious observance takes many forms and I have no quarrel with how any one person chooses to worship or keep faith. But the imposition of those beliefs on others who would otherwise choose another means of expressing their faith--be it the wearing of a hijab in Saudi Arabia or reproductive rights in the USA--is simply tyranny. And such tyranny does not prove the strength of their leaders' convictions, but rather their doubts in a faith weak enough to require being propped up by legal punishments. It brings shame upon them and diminishes God.
Hollie Wagers 7 years ago
I don't buy it. Who is taking the time to censor all these products? Do you know how long that would take...😂
Charles Fayad 7 years ago
Yo u should see Lebanon it's becoming distracting for drivers the ads we don t have this cover
Marvel Yana 7 years ago
I´m surprised that they didnt covered Shakira, Christina and Britney with a bloody burka ...
Sofien Trimech 7 years ago
I'm Tunisian and I've never seen this before, this may exist In Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, something like that :D :D :D
Omar Okeil 7 years ago
While I definitely find these photos ridiculously outrageous, I'm also kind of sad to notice how sexualized the music industry has become, leaving little room for original artists who won't show skin for a living, regardless of how talented they are. "I make music for ears, not eyes." Adele.
Vice Grey 7 years ago
It's a lie, to some degree on music albums at least here in Lebanon, if there is skin showing it'd still look the same on the album but if there is any religious reference; example a picture of the mother Mary it'd just be vandalized or colored over with paint and/or marker, it's moronic I agree but hey that's just the way it works here apparently.
Tech Addict 7 years ago
These are all fake.. Bad photoshop work.. Common boredpanda where are your editors?
Sherri Robinson 7 years ago
How do we know that this is accurate? Where is this info from? The Lady Gaga album has "ft. R. Kelly" written on bottom of one, what is that about? I don't know how trustworthy this is
Moriah Van't Land 4 years ago
🌸.+Women are said to be the most evil creature in the world, Religions also said they women are evil so they need to be silenced+.🌸
Kikka io 7 years ago
I do not agree with the excessive use of the female body to sell things of every kind, but I also think that a woman must be free to do what she wants with her body, including discovering it if she wants it, in the picture That live. It really makes me angry that women are forced into this sort of cowardice. And the worst thing is that in the Koran it is not written anywhere that the woman must be so mortified, as there is no script, the attacks must be done to honor the prophet, but I do not think anyone who does this has it Bed on the coral, as heard by his religious representative.
Griselle Lugo 7 years ago
What surprises me more is that these artists are not totally censored in these countries. I mean, they censor their album covers but, what about the contents of them? Hmmmm....!!
Martin van der Louw 7 years ago
I think if certain conservative groups (not just in the USA) had it their way we would see the same in the western countries
Jilltdcatlady 7 years ago
I'm for the more modest covers. As an 80s/ 90s teen, a lot of these were the must haves. Now that I'm an adult and they are coming out with Greatest Hits, I feel like a perv because I have a hard time making out the warped print thru the wrapper and case. The concentration on the words look I'm leering at the pics.
Miranda Marie 7 years ago
You people should know this is not the norm for middle eastern countries most of them don't do this.
Miranda Marie 7 years ago
Some of these edits actually look better than the original! (some look down right ridiculous)
R Joseph Owles 7 years ago
The only one that I found interesting was the one where they completely removed the woman (mother?) from the pool and replaced her with an inflatable toy. If they could put extra clothes on the man and the children, why not the woman? Why is she replaced with a thing?
Jerry Joseph 7 years ago
#ProperPerspective revealed in this Limited Physical #DivineComedy we are Currently Experiencing ~~ From my Purposeful Research, I find that Censorship and Objectification are two 'Extremes' that would be Most Productively Experienced in Moderation. After examining from the Cultural Perspective, I Understand more the Reason behind these Creative Modifications. Seek and You Shall Find... and only the TRUTH shall set you Free ~~ Peace Be The Journey #ProductiveEngagement #CreativeSolutions #DivineBirthright #DivineFriendship | 777ADVENTURES
Doncho Popkrustev 7 years ago
Haha , Nirvana and censorship - that Nevermind cover is soooo badly photoshopped! C'mon guys, Kurt would never allow that s**t! Yes, he agreed to alter song title for Rape Me to be suitable for minors, but covering baby genetalies is absurd!!!
Yasmin Yasin 7 years ago
I don't understand.. The amount of clothes you able to be without= the amount of freedom you have?
Marvel Yana 7 years ago
It´s about the freedom to wear whatever you want. It´s about not considering human body (especially female human body) as a sin just because a bunch of thick-head men say so.
N/A N/A 7 years ago
Apart from the overall sexualization of women that s pretty normal on the media these days (and that's fine, I don't condemn), most of transformations are ridiculous. But as a woman, #44 really makes me sad. As it depicts accurately that woman don't have rights, credit, opinions, freedom, access to values and information, etc, etc, etc as any other human being would (for human being I mean men). Is this the forest we've come? Sad...
Hugo Raible 7 years ago
It's an interesting experiment. Once you get mostly rid of the "sex sells" part, how much ist left? How do sales change if you stop putting naked people on the front?
Katrina Harris 7 years ago
I prefer the censored images... except the beach floats. That was weird. But they look better in the censored versions!
rick hctep (Rick45) 7 years ago
What a total load of Bol****s, It's different when you see what their menfolk get up to, including the goats and the old men bending over for a young Arab, dirty fu***s all of them but their women can't bare an arm or leg like they did in the 1970's till they voted that Ayertoller ( however it is spelt ) and he took them back a 1000 years.
Betty Morgan Singer 7 years ago
Most of the ones for the Middle-East are really much more beautiful; except the one of the family in the pool, where being fully clothed seems silly.
Joe Kobersy 7 years ago
Most of these "censored" images are never seen in Middle Easter countries, except for very preservative countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Jim Parrillo 7 years ago
Most of these are all HORRIBLY photoshopped and all with the same errors... (ie. improperly matched lighting and shadows, clothing does not adequately follow body contours) It's really poor quality and not the kind of work that music companies (who HIGHLY scrutinize artist images) usually do when they put together album covers. Makes me think this whole article is a fake.
Dragan Šprem 7 years ago
What is it with these half naked girls on the CD covers, anyways? Are they selling music, or their bodies? Do they get secret funds from pr0n sites?
Ali Halabi 7 years ago
this is only in Saudi Arabia not the middle east! this doesn't happen in Jordan/ Egypt/ Lebanon/etc...
Gracita Gouverneur 7 years ago
Watching these I just keep thinking that they have a closet full of clothes handing out to these celebs saying: "here, cover up" or do a close up and they all have frowns on their faces. hahahaha I cant help it.
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Dolan Nohere 7 years ago
This literally looks like the photoshop work of a 14 year old on a 2 day adderall bender. Jesus christ.
BRTiger 7 years ago
this s**t shouldn't even be allowed in the middle east to begin with. if americans love to create cultural garbage, better keep it to themselves.
Sarah Lennie 7 years ago
They didn't force overseas companies to buy; supply and demand... If the culture offends so much, remove yourself from the Internet.
Yasmin Yasin 7 years ago
Yeah a great job with great salary , paid vacation, free healthcare and no taxes, that's the worst!
Yasmin Yasin 7 years ago
This is pretty ridiculous, most of these ads have shirts photoshopped onto the men and blurred out the children's face.. it's not a sexist thing if it's being done to everybody. They blur out a child's face so you say they are against children? It's about having a religion and following that teaching that tells us to be modest. I feel bad for women that show off all their body to feel beautiful or to get attention from men. See the difference for a man to see a woman's body and be attracted or for a man to be attracted to her face and personality. It's disrespectful for a woman to show her body , but not because it "offends" men, it offends the lady because she has dignity she feels shame. Don't you think men would rather us women all walk around naked? I have an hourglass body but I feel no need to show it off to the world, I break out my tight dress when my husband gets home , because his opinion is the only one that matters to me. I would feel really uncomfortable with men staring:/
Belinda Matson 7 years ago
Why not blur the mans face too? Reminded me of the phrase "Children should be seen & not heard" but THIS is "Only men will be seen & heard"
Load More Replies... Emmanouil Trigenis 7 years ago
Yasmin Yasin , it seems you are in complete denial!! You may be right with the west sometimes overdoing it when showing skin, but it's their right to do so. Maybe it bothers you that women in other countries actually have rights and are not someone's property like poor women in most Islamic countries are!! Look again lady. There are not any blurred children's or men's faces only women's. In the pool ad the woman is replaced with a beach ball. You think is out of respect? Think again. Are men then disrespected when their face or bodies are shown?Who are men are trying to seduce with their face and bodies? Maybe other women.Fair would be if also men hid their faces and could only be seen in the house by the wives. You call this freedom?I don't think so. Google Islamic countries in the 70s before the talibans came before you answer me.Its your right to live like a slave but don't try and convince us that our way is actually worst than what you are daily living.
Yasmin Yasin 7 years ago
Apparently you're not well traveled, why don't you go and live in middle east where I ,along with the other women are treated as queens and then come back and talk to me. I don't understand those that think showing off your body parts for all to see= freedom.
Inga Ko (Post author) 7 years ago
There are always sources provided at the bottom of each image, but you have to understand that sometimes it's just impossible to find some of them. Also, if there's a big doubt about the realness of an image, we simply don't put it in the post. If you know any source that I didn't link, let me know, it will be fixed immediately. Capture-59...b6d2b4.jpg
Adam Havlík 7 years ago
Says the one who thinks the Middle East is a country.
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