I think Wajeha's description was great: in the law women are treated more like property than like children. Although children are also treated like property.

(to make a connection to the western culture, think of fathers "giving away" brides at weddings)

This was really interesting.

It's unusual to see such well-thought out commentary from a television news channel.

The segment with the Chinese make over game show (where the ugliest contestant "wins" some plastic surgery) made me so sad. Even when they had all of the contestants line up, I would not have called a single one unattractive. And the young woman the piece was centered around (with the "protruding teeth") went into major oral surgery without even seeming to consider any dangers or side-effects from the procedure. And she looks much less happy when she smiled afterward.

Very good show. Thanks for sharing it.

Swan & Cinderella.

I'm a need a second to lie down.

yeah, I pretty much was ready to seek the high-caliber firearm solution after I saw The Swan domestically--with apologies to Patton Oswalt, "I want to be beautiful! but I don't want to grow a personality, so CUT MY FLESH!"

and now it's been exported.

I was momentarily amused that the producers elected to use Final Fantasy music as incidental score.

The reporter was great; I am looking up Al Jazeera's whole English site now. Thanks!

I lived in China for a couple years. The domestic airlines would include cards with the profiles of the attendants: pictures, ages, height, weight and MEASUREMENTS! I had a friend who spoke fabulous English but she couldn't get a job as a teacher because she wasn't tall enough (she is 5'2"). That show was just heartbreaking...especially the part where they bashed the mirrors with hammers! Yeesh, at least Biggest Loser at least PRETENDS to be about health. Please tell me that Swan show in the US was cancelled? I haven't seen any commercials for it. SCARY. Just scary.

Programs like "The Swan", or any dating show, should give viewers eye cancer.

I enjoyed the Every Woman segment; it was nice to hear an opinion from an actual Saudi woman about her experience. Where I live (Perth, Western Australia) a lot of people who bring this issue up assume that these women aren't doing anything to help themselves. But clearly, there are feminists all around the globe! Not just in liberal western countries.

Re: The Swan makeover show

Plastic surgery is definitely becoming more accepted as a way to make yourself more 'normalised', as more and more people refuse to accept their bodies as they are. I used to think it was just a western thing, but clearly, it's become quite popular around the world. Yes, I think it's sad, but an inevitable result of living in such a beauty/youth obsessed culture. It'd be great if appearances did not matter, but to a large extent they do. I think if having surgery makes you feel better about your appearance, and thus, more confident, then you should have it done. In the end, it's the individual's choice, and it should be respected.

Wow, I had no idea that women had so few rights in Saudi Arabia!

EmzI completely agree with your statement's regarding programs like "The Swan", or any exploitive program which uses the frailty of it's "stars" (I'm thinking even shows like "The Real World" even. Stocked with sexy losers/cretins with no self-esteem at all, etc) to feed the lascivious and blood-thirsty viewing public.

The people at the center are victims of it all. Not only are they subject to, in some cases, very real disadvantage due to appearance they are also presented in a way which reinforces the very mind-set they were the victims of in the first place.

"My life was shit when I had no six-pack abs and my chin had some company. Now I'm ripped and my teeth have been capped. I now qualify to be happy! Yay for me, sux for you fatty!"

p.s. Celibrity shows which expose what morons famous people are should probably give eye cancer but they are so damn funny. Bog bless Perez!

p.p.s.: I did watch "The Real World" until Pedro Zamora died. Then it started to suck. I also did watch season 1 of "Survivor" because I thought that naked guy was hillarious with the old Navy guy.

Thanks for this link! I was looking for another world news org to get into...in addition to the BBC which i read religiously.

This "Everywoman" series seems interesting.