Haifa Wehbe [Singer]

january · February 3rd, 2008, 02:25 AM

Haifa Wehbe is the most talked about Arabic celebrity today. She is a Lebanese singer and is considered the Supermodel of the Middle East.

I never found her particularly beautiful, maybe because of the amount of makeup she wears, but she is starting to grow on me. She really is straight sex. She's a horrible diva but if you knew how popular she was here you would understand why, she's treated like she is the most beautiful woman to ever breathe.

A couple of youtube videos. Yes, she's a "singer" but she's absolutely terrible. She just poses as one so people can look at her. This song, in particular, is awful, I love how she just uses a boy as a prop and lounges around in her lingerie while she feeds him chocolate. A bit strange, I find it actually a bit disturbing, even a little gross.

YouTube Video

This is Haifa's Pepsi commercial.

YouTube Video

pacific breeze · February 3rd, 2008, 02:40 AM

Pretty, but that wraparound black eyeliner is dated and does nothing for her.

emkat · February 3rd, 2008, 02:42 AM

Hate the nose!

january · February 3rd, 2008, 02:47 AM

Haha! If you saw other ME celebrities, you would be shocked at how pervasive bad plastic surgery is. I should create a thread on that alone, you would have a field day! Compared to the other noses seen here on singers, Haifa looks amazing, no joke! Lebanon is the plastic surgery capital of the world, its not a joke when I say that the authentic Lebanese nose is close to extinct, I have even read articles regarding it.

And that black eyeliner is really a staple here in the ME. Women really play up their eyes here, almost comically sometimes. Eyes are seen as the epitome of beauty here, and most celebrities wear colored contacts. To be "colored" here (the first time I was referred to as "colored" I was shocked) is seen as a compliment. It means you have light eyes or hair. So some women fake it.

pacific breeze · February 3rd, 2008, 02:51 AM

^^Oh, I know the eyeliner is a staple of exotic looks, january. Way back to the time of Cleopatra -- I do think it is aging, tho.

Shalev · February 3rd, 2008, 03:27 AM

Her name is killing me

, maybe I'll start call myself Tel Aviv.
But yeah, whatever, she's kinda pretty. [Lol, I'm still laughing].

sputnik · February 3rd, 2008, 04:11 AM

ugh. she's got pretty eyes but the nose job is awful and she's so tacky and cheap looking. and the songs are ridiculous. middle eastern pop stars baffle me.

Novice · February 3rd, 2008, 07:45 AM

I'm glad you posted this January. I nothing nothing about pop from anywhere else other that euro/us...
I like her eye makeup - her dob is given as both 1970 & 1976 (so I'm going with 70) which makes her 37..... so given the PS, etc, she looks ok.

January - I've experiences something similar in France (of all places), when there was a high population of Algerians - I'm brunette but pale skin with very pale blue eyes (sometimes in photos they look white - really freaky-stuff!), my eyes really freaked them out..... (in a good way I think?)

LaFolie · February 3rd, 2008, 07:53 AM

Some Algerians have light-colored eyes, though.

Chilly Willy · February 3rd, 2008, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by january

Haha! If you saw other ME celebrities, you would be shocked at how pervasive bad plastic surgery is. I should create a thread on that alone, you would have a field day! Compared to the other noses seen here on singers, Haifa looks amazing, no joke! Lebanon is the plastic surgery capital of the world, its not a joke when I say that the authentic Lebanese nose is close to extinct, I have even read articles regarding it.

I have noticed that, too. In Iran, women use plastic surgery as a sign of rebellion against the traditionalists. In most Islamic countries, the wealthy women go completely overboard. Often these women don't have any other means of self expression or liberation. Plus, they spend a great deal of time and thought on their appearance, since most of them are just locked up with other women all day long.

Also, the beauty ideal is very homogenic and influenced by Caucasian ideals. There seems to be one type of nose that is used in every surgery in India and the Middle East. Often it doesn't fit at all. Contact lenses that make the eyes appear lighter are popular, as well.

The last time I saw a real Indian nose in a Bollywood movie was in 1983. When you watch tv in the Middle East, you think it's the same actress/singer/presenter over and over again.

Very Hollywood, so to speak.

Novice · February 3rd, 2008, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaFolie

Some Algerians have light-colored eyes, though.

Totally! The one particular guy I'm thinking of looked "typically french" (I mean this in a good way - this isn't a particularly common colouring combination from my experience in the UK) in that he was dark blond with hazelly eyes, whereas his friends were dark.
The girl I was with was a Pakistani Muslim & they were also Muslim; it was the main similarity between us all. Well that & the fact that none of us could eat the food that the college served....
(Not trying to go completely off topic, but they were very interesting, I'd never met French Algerians before).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chilly Willy

When you watch tv in the Middle East, you think it's the same actress/singer/presenter over and over again.

Very Hollywood, so to speak.

I've seen the Indian TV soaps & they're very westernised too. I think it's a shame as I think the beauty is in the difference not the sameness.

LaFolie · February 3rd, 2008, 08:24 AM

Where do you come from, Novice?

january · February 3rd, 2008, 08:32 AM

Novice, you sound a lot like me, brunette, very pale, light eyes. Thats really idealized here. The standard of beauty here is very different. And the women here do not understand the concept of tanning - in the majority's eyes, they have no clue why you would want to be darker. Most women here are trying to get as white as possible. Thats really pervasive with the celebrities here as well.

Chilly, another thing is just how much makeup the Middle Eastern presenters and celebrities wear, its unreal! I'm getting more used to it now, but it was shocking when I first came here. They look like they've already been airbrushed, they look like little dolls. And you're right, they are very influenced by the Caucasian ideal and western stereotypes.

Novice · February 3rd, 2008, 08:42 AM

You know, in the UK its not particularly desired, they want blonds; but when I've traveled abroad, I was surprised at how attractive I was perceived to be - I have a lot of slavic blood which gives me things like high cheek bones too - really NOT the thing to have in england......
The tanning thing is interesting too. I really like that bit (obviously NO self interst here at all...)

Is the make-up that obvious? Or do they just look like they have flawless skin with strong eyes?

january · February 3rd, 2008, 09:01 AM

It depends, its better on some celebrities than the others, but for the most part it looks like its slathered on. There's a celebrity here called Nicole Saba, here is her website:

The Official Nicole Saba Web Site

She is so trashy and cheap looking. She also has incredibly bad plastic surgery as well. You can't tell it as much from the pictures, but her makeup is incredibly bad, they put this white stuff all over her face and then put tons of shimmer and the like, and they bleach her hair until its the color of straw. The first time I saw her, I think I recoiled in horror. There is another celebrity who I would say is kind of C list, I wish I remembered her name, its like Rola (or maybe I'm confusing her with someone else) but when I saw her, I was like DAMN! She looked like she was in full clown makeup, I'm not exaggerating and she is so damn tacky it was gross.

Maybe I'll post a few of the others who aren't so bad in the hot women section, not sure if I'd classify them as hot, but maybe someone else would think so.