Long ago and far away, when the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos fell in the Philippines, the dictator’s wife, Imelda, became an object of global ridicule for her extravagant wardrobe — especially her shoes. She had 2,700 pairs of shoes. When the Marcoses fled Manila for refuge in Hawaii, in February of 1986, Imelda left her shoes. They ended up on display in Malacanang Palace, symbols of the excess with which dictators live the high life while beggaring their people.
Back then, I was working for a newspaper out of Hong Kong, and during a trip to Manila I paid a visit to the Imelda shoe display. It was indeed staggering for its profligacy, but what also made an impression was Imelda’s gaudy taste. An ex-beauty queen, she went for the frothy, flashy, and overdone. A lot of it was the kind of stuff that wouldn’t have passed muster in the salons of the world’s intellectual and cultured jet set. One of the trophy exhibits in the collection was a pair of light-up disco heels. Critics perusing the collection did not spend time praising her taste. They focused on the ruinous rule behind the extravagance.
Which brings us to Syria, where today’s first lady, Asma al-Assad, has also become famous for her shoes. Her style, however, is very different from Imelda’s. Asma is cosmopolitan, born and schooled in London, a study in understated yet costly elegance. She’s young, she’s slender and for her footwear she favors shoes by French designer Christian Louboutin. Asma and her shoes turned up in 2009 in a Huffington Post spread on “Our favorite Asma looks.” The shoes were demurely hinted at in last month’s Vogue profile on “Asma al-Assad: A Rose in the Desert” — along with her simple necklace of Chanel agates, and her Louboutin silk handbag.
Plus, in at least four languages she’s capable of producing an endless stream of multicultural psychobabble about art, culture, politics, society, and her dedication to cultivating a sustainable future for Syrian youth. Look around on YouTube, and you can see her speaking in Paris, switching between English and French to discuss the role of the museum in the city; or tastefully dressed down for an outing in Syria among the common folk. On March 18, she was the patroness and keynote speaker at a conference in Damascus of the Harvard Arab Alumni Association. And it would appear she has anonymous fans so devoted that they maintain and neatly update a Facebook page for her, where someone has taken the trouble to ensure that the current carnage in Syria does not intrude on the posts — dedicated exclusively in recent days to such matters as water projects and honoring the mothers of Syria (though reality does seem to seeping in by way of some of the comments).
As monstrous as Asma Assad and her cultivated mask is, what about the western accomplices who create the masks for the Arab terrorist kingpins? Was it Obama’s disgusting speech in Cairo which gave the proper nod and wink for the Arab charm offensives by the Khaddafis and the Assads, et al? Terrorist Muslim Arab scum can send their sons to America or Londen to get scrubbed and polished and pasted with new veneers, but it’s useless unless the salons and the Vogues and the London Schools of Economics play along to amplify the obscene charade. And play along they did.
Annually we’re fed the list of “The World’s Richest” so-and-sos – but notice how the top dozen or so Muslim terrorist gazillionaires never show up? I’ve pointed out that the world has seen its first trillionaires in the scabrous forms of those tyrants of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Of the top 15 ranked Sovereign Wealth Funds, at least 7 belong to terror sponsoring Muslim tyrants. Russia and China round out this who’s who of the totalitarian lottery winners of all time.
That kind of loot (literally) buys a lot of bankers, a lot of lawyers, a lot of PR firms, a lot of consultancies by ex-diplomats, a lot of $2,000,000 speeches by ex-presidents, a lot of “Islamic Studies” departments at a lot of universitites to explain away Islam to the infidel, and a lot of glowing articles in newspapers in magazines and on TV. No wonder we’re still completely in the dark in the West about the bloody and intolerant totalitarian ideology of Islam. Our elites, on BOTH sides of the aisle, don’t want to jeopardize their chance to get some of that beautiful beautiful loot.
With several trillion dollars at the disposal of the Islamic scumbags, we can see the result: a decade after 9/11 and we are still being told that Islam is at not war with our civilization, that Islam is a “Religion of Peace(tm)”, and that terrorism is a mere bug and not an all-out operating system feature of Islam. The western scum retailing these lies are everywhere.
Right on cue. Appearing on Fox News, one of the hired hagiographers of Islam making the rounds, author David Lesch, to “explain” what’s happening in Syria. His recent book’s title: “The New Lion of Damascas”.
Who is David Lesch? Professor at Trinity University of “Middle East History”. I wonder who funds that department. Who funds most or all of the “Middle Eastern Departments” of this-and-that?
His description today of Assad: “…He’s seen in Syria as an unpretentious man, a family man, a humble figure who gave up his avocation as an ophthalmologist to lead the country…”
Gee. I wonder what the problem is then.
According to Imelda’s attorney, Gerry Spence, she was given most of those shoes as gifts during visits to shoe factories. The Philippines is a major shoe manufacturer, and Imelda’s duties included appearances at factory locations.
Michelle Obama probably has a larger clothing and jewelry wardrobe albeit without Asma’s refined tastes. A rough estimate on what MO has paid for her wardrobe is around a half a million. With the MSM it’s hands off. A Republican woman wouldn’t be so lucky.
Michelle Obama Wears 16 Outfits in 4 Days.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8i30O20OXM
What, don’t you know? Those Totalitarian dictators aren’t really rich: their wealth belongs to “the people”. To bad the people don’t get to benefit.
When not comforting her husband after a hard day of torturing, killing, or beating his opponents for speaking against him, Asma al-Assad is a beautiful fashion queen.
Vogue recently did a spread on her. That there are media whores who will paint lipstick on any pig, no matter how ugly, is no surprise. That there are pretty women who would sleep with the devil incarnate is no surprise either.
No, what never fails to surprise me is how easily such dregs of humanity can continue to attract such limitless hordes of minions who will continue to support them. That there should be so many such people stuns me.
Sooner or later one would think they’d realize the ugly nature of those who they have placed upon this pedestal. Maybe that’s what this Arab revolution is about.
Maybe Muammar has something in her size.
Claudia Rosett
Could you please explain why 2 links were added to my above post and why my original link was deleted?
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MD01Ak01.html
Claudia, you are a respected journalist with WSJ and NRO
–neither of which would allow such actions as it would be unethical and would seriously damage both their brand and their credibility.
Please look into this matter and explain what is going on here
Thanks
Victor
[Ed. - Comments here are not edited. They are simply either posted or deleted. If anything got garbled, it was not an editing decision; most likely a technical glitch. Posting this as a correction.]
Well if it was an article by Spengler I’d give it more attention.
I suggest Asma get fashion advice from the “Moochelle Collection”.
Whatever widows wear in muslim culture….
Interesting hit piece. I would suggest that people talk to the Christian population of Syria whose life has improved considerably since Asma became first lady. They are no longer persecuted and treated like second class citizens. Asma is a Christian Syrian and has had considerable influence in making sure that her people are treated better and given oppotunities that they haven’t had in the past. She has also made sure that her people are protected from their Muslem neighbors who are often do violence to the Christians in the area.
Having witness the treatment of Christians in Lebanon, Egypy, Syria etc.I see no reason to support a violent Muslem population.
Although I can find no information about Asma’s good works on behalf of Syrian Christians nor about their improved lot since she arrived on the scene, I hope what you say is accurate.
However, I believe Asma is Sunni Muslim. Any connection she has with Christianity appears to be strictly cultural. Or multicultural–she’s quoted as saying, “All the religions and cultures that have passed through these lands–the Armenians, Islam, Christianity, the Umayyads, the Ottomans–make up who I am.” And isn’t there at least one other group who passed through those lands conspicuously missing from her list? Oh well, perhaps she doesn’t feel the Jews are part of what makes her who she is.
Yeah, whatever. I sold my SOUL for Chanel and Louboutin, but, but, I can speak four languages you know. Off with their heads!!!
At least she can wear all those nice clothes.
Look at the photo of poor Ahmenijad’s wife sitting with her Lebanese counterparts. I feel embarrased for her just looking at it.
http://www.nowlebanon.com/Library/Images/Uploaded%20Images/blog/Mo-Jad-wife-blog2.jpg
well I get many fashion magazines, keeping up with style is part of my job.
I have looked through old issues of GQ, and Vogue. 100% pro-Bama anti McCain diss Sarah, articles were the norm. Vogue ran puff pieces on Jarrett and Michelle. I have no problem with using the first lady to promomte US fashion, thatis part of her job and many other first ladies have been style icons. I do object to the injection of political bias in the articles. GQ went so far as to run extremely iconic, flattering, almost propagandic images of Obama and Hillary while running the ugliest image of Mc Cain they could did up. Same for Mrs McCain, an attractive woman- they purposely made them look bad and (sin of fashion) OLD. I have cancelled both magazines as both are biased and the topic of their rags is NOT politics; the focus of the articles should be fashion, style, homes.
The piece on MRS Assad was really disgusting- in so many ways- yes glossed over her husband’s “job” but worse did not address the issues Islamic women who are not the “Queen” of the country live. The same treatement was given to Rania of Jordan. Jordan a country full of oppressed Palestinians and women living in near bondage of Islam.
Liberal and the media who write this propaganda are more of a problem to me than foreign enemies- these people are advocating for the people who wish to destroy the very establishment they are privileged to be part of of- a free press. For people who do not have such in their nations. I consider them dangerous to my personal and our national well-being.
In my industry I can’t even feel comfortable to voice a conservative opinion or say I voted REP- so villanized, so libeled and so viciously hated by this group are we- I know it would affect my ability to get work. We don’t need a McCarthy blacklist in USA- it’s already here and not of Rep making- nope brought to us by Dems, dhimmis, and lib mainstream media who hold the hand of our enemies, while they disrespect fellow Americans.
From the Wall Street Journal’s March WSJ:
1. There’s also the question of whether Vogue doesn’t sometimes allow a fashionable tail to wag a questionable dog. The March issue included a soft-focus look at Syria’s ruling al-Assad family. Yes, conceded writer Joan Juliet Buck, “In Syria, power is hereditary,” and there are those “souvenir Hezbollah ashtrays” scattered around. But president Bashar al-Assad’s wife, Asma, is nonetheless “glamorous, young and very chic.”
2. … rumors still adore Wintour. The latest one is that she is interested in leaving Vogue and fashion for a job in Washington as an ambassador. This speculation has fed on Wintour’s enthusiastic fund-raising activities for Barack Obama and her open admiration for the First Lady—Michelle Obama is one of the first names Wintour mentions when asked whom she most looks up to.
Before the presidential election in 2008, she co-hosted a fund-raising dinner with Calvin Klein and André Leon Talley at Klein’s home. “I spent time on the aesthetics, and Anna did the phone calls and was really responsible for the funds,” Klein recalls. “She was a powerhouse, this tiny, beautiful woman who you think just lives and dies for fashion.” Shortly after, Annie Leibovitz photographed Michelle Obama for a spread that ran in the January 2009 issue. She also appeared on Vogue’s March 2009 cover, along with an exclusive interview with the First Lady.
Last July, Wintour hosted a $30,000-a-head Obama fund-raiser at her townhouse in Greenwich Village. In attendance were key members of her network, including Harvey Weinstein and his wife, Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman; Andrew Rosen, founder of sportswear manufacturer Theory (he contributed heavily to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and made the T-shirts for Fashion’s Night Out); Gap designer Patrick Robinson (who co-chaired the 2010 Costume Institute gala with Oprah Winfrey and Wintour); old chum and CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg; and art dealer Larry Gagosian. According to Women’s Wear Daily, the dinner raised as much as $1.5 million.
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704893604576200722939264658.html#ixzz1IP3pDnxn
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704893604576200722939264658.html#ixzz1IP39WsRc
2 great reasons to NEVER buy US Vogue