By Sozan Al Qarzi and Noor Abdoulhamid Bagher Zadeh
ABU DHABI — Fashionistas are women who use social media to talk about their own experiences with beauty and fashion. In the Gulf region, famous fashionistas are growing phenomenon, living their lives in public, with millions of followers on Instagram and Snapchat, where they become quite wealthy by advertising products.
Fashionistas are “a new class of stars who have begun to appear on the surface of Arab societies,” observes Ahmed Almarzooqi, 23, a student at Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi with a major in IT. “They’re not TV stars nor actresses, they’re ‘fashionistas,’” The word and the phenomenon have spread quickly through social media, he says.
Fashionistas are usually armed with a striking beauty and breathtaking physical standards. They provide a glamorous new avenue for advertising, marketing and the latest in world fashion, makeup and accessories.
Fashionistas make lucrative deals with dressmakers and companies that sell cosmetics, perfumes, and skin care products. The fashionistas talk about these products on their social media accounts and advise the public to buy these “great and awesome” products. This is often one of the most successful ways to market products and motivate people to buy.
Noha Nabeel from Kuwait, for example, has more than three million followers on Instagram. Afnan Al Batel from Saudi Arabia has more than four millions followers, Taim Al Falasi from UAE has more than two million followers. Fouz Alfahad from Kuwait has more than one million followers on Instagram and over two million views on Snapchat.
Ten more women from the Gulf region have more than two millions followers on Instagram and Snapchat.
We asked 10 young women from Zayed University what they think of fashionistas:
“I’m addicted to makeup and I follow all the famous people that are interested in makeup and beauty,” says Marwa Saleh, 23. “I really get affected by what they use in their daily makeup and skin care, so yes I admit they motivate me.”
Afra Aid, 20, agrees. She says “social media has become a big part of our lives, so if we get affected by these famous women, that’s very normal and okay.”
Lulu Abdullah, a 21-year-old CCMS student at ZU, admits “fashionista women are very attractive to me. I wish I could become a fashionista in the future.”
Dana Abdulhamid, also 21, thinks “fashionistas’ advantages and benefits are greater than their disadvantages,” then asks “why do people make judgments harshly just because they get famous and make more money?”
Ameera Ahmed, 21, an education major, sees a down side: “What saddens me the most about the fashionista phenomenon is the amount of depression that can spread in the hearts of the girls who are following them.”
Nouf Almuharami, 22, a CCMS major, says she met a teenager at a mall who talked about how fashionistas teach her makeup tips and introduce products like Giorgio and Armani, which cost at least Dh700, or Urban Decay eyeshadow palette that cost Dh200. “All of that can affect young girls who can’t afford those expensive cosmetics,” she worries.
Many followers of fashionistas are children and young girls who are so fascinated they automatically, without thinking, want to buy or promote of products that could threaten the ethics of society. Social media and ads push children and teens to imitate adult figures in their own lives, acting out through SnapChat videos, that can be watched and circulated by millions around the world without regard to the age of participants.
Some young women think fashionistas are haram.
Amna Mohamed Al Khulaifi, 22, a business major, says “we need to spread awareness so we can prevent these issues.”
Muna Khalid, 22, says she is against the fashionista phenomenon. She considers people who follow fashionistas as silly and without strong personalities.
Yasmin Bader, 32, who works at Khalifa Hospital, confirms that the fashionista phenomenon exploits the innocence of girls, especially in adolescence. They are falling for corporate propaganda. Paying too much attention to fashionistas could encourage girls to break accepted rules of society, wear unsuitable clothing or “do anything in order to draw sight,” or attention to themselves.
Girls who follow fashionistas can become “self-obsessed. They suffer from showmanship, and (will) search for the money no matter what…,” she says.
We actually agree with this view. Some of the products that fashionistas sell are not good for young women’s skin. They are selling these products because they make a lot of money. And some fashionistas are show offs.
What do you think? Post your comments below.
About the Author
Sozan Al Qarzi is a student in the College of Communication and Media Sciences at Zayed University.
This story was originally published on Sept. 18, 2016. It was re-uploaded on Dec. 31, 2020.
