If you're a single Arab, then you probably know the stress that comes with every wedding season. The pressure of finding "the one" begins in your early 20s ... and increases significantly prior to hitting 30.
For many Arab parents, hitting the 30-mark is synonymous with spinsterhood ... because logic? Well, many Arabs are just not having it.
These ones went out of their way to express themselves ... and they're savage AF:
1. "Everyone is getting married ... and I don't know my head from my toes"
In 2018, Palestinian artist Bashar Murad released a music video titled "IlKul 3am Bitjwaz" (Everyone Is Getting Married), satirically depicting the societal pressures in the Arab world when it comes to marriage.
"Everyone is getting married, and I don't know my head from my toes," the song lyrics say.
The song aims to settle the hearts of all those who haven't yet settled down before the age of 30 ... because tying the knot is not one's sole purpose in life, nor should it be a milestone.
"This is why I decided to marry myself in the video. This way I will focus on myself, my art, and my future instead of putting my energy into finding the perfect partner," he told My.Kali.
His work also challenges gender norms.
"I wanted to shatter the image of the Arab man, who is always supposed to be masculine and should never try to cross the lines that society has drawn. So me appearing in the wedding dress was done not only for comical reasons, but also to express my liberation from any restriction from anyone."
2. So, "I got married to life"
In 2018, Palestinian travel vlogger Haifa Beseisso decided to succumb to the pressures by getting married ... to life.
Beseisso donned a white dress, lent from Al Zafaf Fashion, and decided to take to the streets to celebrate her wed to life. Beseisso documented the festivities in a six-minute video shared to YouTube.
The Dubai-based vlogger visited numerous touristic spots in the city, including Miracle Garden and Motiongate Dubai, to celebrate the joys life has to offer. She began giving out "invitation cards" to random people in the area which read:
"Welcome to the wedding of 'Haifa & Life' ... Today, Tomorrow & Everyday you are invited. Join me!"
3. When "3a2belik" turned sour
4. And saw dark humor come out in full force
5. And pushed one Egyptian woman to host a "groom-less" wedding
In 2017, Egyptian Esraa Al-Hagan decided she does not need to wait for a man to have her big day. She put on a puffy white dress, wore a bridal veil, applied Arab-brides' typical dramatic makeup, and took to the streets to declar she is a "strong *Arab* independent woman who don't need no man [sic]."
The 27-year-old caused a stir on Egyptian social media after photos of her groom-less circulated online. Al-Hagan dressed up in bridal attire, enjoyed a photoshoot on the streets of Ismailia Governorate, and partied with her friends. Why?
"I'm rewarding myself for my hard work," she said in an interview with Al Nahar TV.
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