There is outrage in Morocco after a local television program ran a segment instructing women on how to cover up evidence of domestic violence using makeup.
The show, Sabahiyat, brought on a woman with fake bruises on her face and had a makeup artist explain the best cover-up plan as if it were any other YouTube tutorial. From what face powder to use so that bruises don’t show later in the day, to the best application to a sore face, the artist feeds right into the notion that domestic abuse should not be talked about or condemned, all with a smile on her face.
Sabahiyat’s host Lilia Mouline even says during the segment, “It’s a subject we shouldn’t talk about, but unfortunately that’s what it is,” concluding with the hope that the “beauty tips” help viewers “carry on with [their] normal life.”
People in Morocco responded immediately and were, understandably, furious with the show.
A petition was started shortly after the airing demanding action be taken against the station; so far it has over 2,800 signatures.
“As Moroccan women and as feminist activists in Morocco, and in the name of all Moroccan people, we denounce the message of normalization with violence against women,” the petition said, according to the Washington Post. “We demand severe sanctions against this show, ‘Sabahiyat,’ and the channel 2M.”
The video was deleted by the station but was recovered by creators of the petition.
We don’t know what’s more concerning here — the indifferent attitude towards domestic violence from the show, or that violence against women is apparently so common and accepted that the segment was considered relevant to the show’s audience.
Photo via Sabahiyat
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