Selective Modesty and Repugnant Censorship: a deviant love affair

Have you ever asked ChatGPT a question you know the answer to and then got your knickers in a knot over how unrefined and flaky AI’s answer turned out to be? 

Yeah, me neither, why would I do such a thing? 

But then I get left unsupervised and things happen..

Today I asked the AI chatbot a burning question I hear often from people who are either uninformed on the subject or genuinely looking for reassurance:

   Do I have to expose my belly to belly dance?  

Here is the answer I got, original formatting preserved:

“No, you don’t have to expose your belly to belly dance! While traditional belly dance costumes often include crop tops or open designs that expose the midriff, it’s not a requirement to enjoy or practice the dance. Belly dancing is about expressing yourself through movement, not about what you wear.

Many dancers choose outfits that make them comfortable, such as:

• Fitted tops or shirts: These can be long-sleeved, short-sleeved, or sleeveless.

• Scarves or sashes: Wrapped around the hips, they help highlight movements without exposing the midriff.

• Flowing dresses: Some belly dance styles, like Egyptian raqs sharqi or folkloric styles, often include full dresses.

• Workout attire: Leggings and tank tops are great for practice.

The most important part of belly dancing is your confidence, enjoyment, and connection to the art form. You can adjust your costume to suit your personal style and comfort.”

Looking almost a decade back when I was not even a baby dancer, but rather an embryo of a dancer, this kind of reply would probably have provided some comfort and reassurance we all need when embarking on a new journey. However, the Auntie Helen you know (and undoubtedly love) today is discontent with what ChatGPT had spewed out. 

I will refrain from going into my favourite rabbit holes of what constitutes folkloric style within the belly dance framework, what the difference between raqs sharqi and belly dance is or isn’t, and why the hell the dresses are so specifically “flowing”. Also, keeping in mind the great principle of “garbage in - garbage out”, I shall make no further comment on practice wear or what makes “traditional belly dance costumes” traditional.  The answers you get from Artificial Intelligence are about as intelligent as your questions.  

There is one item missing from the suggestion list that I feel is of high importance. No, it is not the infamous belly button pasty/navel jewel. It is…drum roll…mesh belly cover! 

You can watch the wonderful Fifi Abdou wearing her mesh belly covers.  Each one matches every costume colour variation she goes through in the course of performing for the royal court.

Mesh belly cover or bodysuit, called “shabaka” in Arabic ( شبكة ), is by no means a modern invention. It has been around since at least the early days of the Golden Era of Egyptian cinema. At some point it became a state mandated costuming piece, required by the Ministry of Culture and its subdivision of The Department for Censorship and Supervision of Theaters, Films, Music, and Dance. That requirement for performers in Egypt to wear a belly cover is still in effect but, according to some sources, no longer enforced. 

For the sake of brevity, I will forego quoting all the revisions that the 1955 law on the censorship of all kinds of “artistic products” has undergone, but here’s an excerpt from an article by Nehad Selaiha that pertains to 1976 ministerial decree laying out the rules and a list of prohibitions:

Article 1 of this decree states that "censorship on artistic products as defined in law 340/1955 seeks to raise their artistic standards and to ensure they contribute to the consolidation of social, religious, spiritual and moral values and to the development of public culture, to unleash creative energies in art, as well as maintain public morality and public order so as to protect the young from deviancy" (Egyptian Civil Code, 340/1955)

(Selaiha, N. The Fire and the Frying Pan: Censorship and Performance in Egypt)

Article 2 of the same decree specifically lists the following:

 7. Showing the human body naked in a manner inconsistent with common values and social traditions. The actors should not be dressed in clothes that reveal physical details that may embarrass the spectators or run counter to what is socially acceptable; the clothes should not give prominence to or scandalously stress the joints connecting the different parts of the body.

9. Immoral scenes or dance sequences that are sexually exciting or counter to decorum and decency in the movement of dancers and actors of both sexes.

Not surprising to anyone familiar with the Hays Code. As you might be aware, in the previous blog post I argued that Egypt had so much going on in the early decades of the twentieth century that it hardly had the time to study or copy the aforementioned self-regulatory code from the Hollywood’s film industry, but rather had its own set of regulations arise from the moral turmoil Egyptians were facing due to the new and fast changing social environment. 

The July 23 Revolution of 1952 brought in a whole new flavour of political agenda that was never seen before in Egyptian arts. Closely aligning itself with the Soviet Union, the new republic set its course for nationalization of traditional arts with a goal of creating a coherent image of Egypt on the world’s political arena among the biggest players of the time. Add a layer of ever-present religious views on decency and value of modesty, and you get a concoction that is stifling the evolution and advancement of the arts in the country to this day.

I get it, Dorothy, this yellow brick road is much too long and falls way outside the scope of this post. Censorship in the Arab world is a fascinating topic. However, what I want you to see and ponder today lies slightly off the main path. 

It is the strangely selective yet inconsistent censorship of female belly dancers’ bodies in the Egyptian film industry, before the Revolution and well after. 

Here is a clip of one of the raqs sharqi’s greatest dancers ever, Tahiya Carioca in the 1952 movie called “Ala Kaifak”.  Notice the gaudy belly button pasty. It is obviously such a scandalous body part the public sensibilities will be horrified if they see it! And now look at her skirt. Not only is it made of semi-transparent fabric but the slit on the leg goes all the way up to the belt base. If you watch to the end, you will see Tahiya spinning right before the music stops. That skirt is way up there showing plenty of bare skin yet the belly button exposure is non-negotiable... 

More of the see-through and low-rise skirts, but no belly buttons! The dancers are Lola Abdou and Nadia Gamal, the year of release is 1954. 

This clip is sure a sight to behold! So many dancers, so many different ways to hide the belly: you will see pasties, jewels, strategically placed fringes, sashes and shabakas. Must’ve been a censor’s delight! Naima Akef is the star of this 1955 film. 

Slightly older film, but one of my personal favourites in an academic sense. Watch Naima Akef perform in all sorts of dance styles in one short clip from 1949. At the 1:53 minute mark you see the dancer in the middle wearing not only a shabaka but also a rectangular pasty over her navel. I no longer have to point out the see-through fabric, enormous slits and rather skimpy bras of all the dancers, right? 

Here’s a couple of clips featuring Soheir Zaki, another Golden Era superstar. The first one is undated and I am not familiar with this particular film so cannot tell you the release year. The second is from 1970. You can also date the movie by her hair style! In both clips the impeccable Zaki wears the shabaka, semi-transparent or mesh belly cover.

And last but not least, Naima Akef again in this undated Golden Era film. Oh, what a talent and charisma! Singing, dancing AND playing finger cymbals! It just doesn’t get better than that. Her costuming is quite remarkable in this clip: sheer dress over what can be compared to a two-piece bathing suit while her midriff and the you-know-what (yeah, the navel) is very carefully and deliberately censored. Kind of reminiscent of what we see on the modern day dancers! Farawla’s shorts in this video do look a tiny bit longer than Naima’s though. 

So, let me refresh your memory from before you were mesmerized by all the beautiful dances. The mission statement of the censorship authority of Egypt states, among other things: “maintain public morality and public order so as to protect the young from deviancy”. 

It is logical to assume then that uncensored belly buttons promote youth deviancy. 

I feel like this is one of the most twisted and egregious offenses on a very small and, to be honest, insignificant body part that I’ve ever seen institutionalized. Someone please put it on a t-shirt! “Warning! Exposure to bare navels causes youth deviancy” sounds about as legit as “chemtrails cause autism”. 

It will always be your personal choice whether to expose your belly and the navel fully or partially when you dance or to cover them up completely. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do, including and especially ChatGPT. Listen to your inner deviant younger self and make having fun and enjoying the moment the primary goal of your dance. 

Have something to say? Get in touch askauntiehelen@gmail.com