Prostitute for a good reason: Stars and morality in egypt

Abstract

“Prostitute for a Good Reason. Stars and Morality in Egypt” introduces briefly the history of Egyptian film industry, its current star system and the general evaluation of stars on the artistic and moral level. It examines whether and to what extent Egyptian stars may attain a quasi-mythical power and the kind of moral concepts that are conveyed through them. Hence, it touches on the process of how Egyptian audiences are inclined to read mass-mediated messages. In this context the study refers to the phenomenon of veiling that spread among actresses during the early 1990s and tries to relate it to relevant ideological tensions at work. Consequently, the study investigates the position of actresses, primarily top star Nadia al-Gindi. Her image and film persona seem to indicate a very specific interaction between prevalent ideological and moral concepts of different origins including Islamism and modernism on the one hand and cultural taboos of sexuality and power on the other.