Above, from left, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. Below, from left, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss. Shutterstock
Above, from left, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. Below, from left, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss. Shutterstock
Above, from left, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. Below, from left, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss. Shutterstock
Shelina Janmohamed is an author and a culture columnist for The National
October 01, 2021
“If you’re lucky and God gives you extra years, I should think you’d want to flaunt it and not hide it,” said Iris Apfel, the American interior designer and internet sensation who just turned 100 in August. Ms Apfel is a style icon, unafraid of big bold fashion statements and famous for her oversized signature glasses. “I don’t know why there’s this mad obsession to look years younger than you are,” she said. “I see nothing wrong with a few wrinkles.”
Ms Apfel is an inspiration, with her unapologetic choices and her rejection of norms about beauty and age. But her comments stand precisely because so many people think that ageing is kryptonite for women. Fighting it is thus seen as something that can never start too early. Just think about those supermarket shelves of “anti-ageing” products or the images that airbrush wrinkles from women’s faces in order to make them look “acceptable”. All of this points to society's fixation with impossible youth and beauty ideals.
Iris Apfel on May 22, 2012 in New York City. WireImage
While I hope that I have Ms Apfel’s verve as I grow older, and I am excited she has spoken up, I am less convinced that her praise for wrinkles is a long term win when it comes to conversations about beauty and ageing. Yes, it is great to see signs of age – including wrinkles and grey hair – being shown as they are, naturally, instead of being brushed out. But it is only one side of a conversation.
All the talk seems to either be pro-ageing or anti-ageing, both stands reinforcing that beauty and ageing are defining factors for women. “I’ll get rid of my wrinkles” or “I’m proud of my wrinkles”, rather than just letting it be at “wrinkles are just one way of being beautiful; we are all going to get them, it is not cause for societal outrage and can we now talk about something else?”
The anti-ageing consumer market is set to grow from $191.6 billion in 2019 to $421.4 billion by 2030
The problem being being pro or anti-ageing is that these stands are within notions of womanhood that prioritise appearances and looks above all else. Too often, a woman's worth is defined through her looks.
The starkest example of this has been an emotional announcement this week by 1990s supermodel Linda Evangelista, who said she had been a recluse for the last five years due to plastic surgery that went wrong.
Ms Evangelista appeared on more than 600 magazine covers. She was a favourite of designer Karl Lagerfield and was famously misquoted saying she "wouldn’t get out of bed for less than $10,000”. To say that Linda Evangelista's looks are what made her would be an understatement. After fat-freezing surgery and two attempts to rectify the botched procedure, which she says left her "permanently disfigured", she is no longer willing to be a hermit, and says she is suing the surgeon for $50million.
When someone who was acclaimed for her looks feels that the only way to hold on to her value is through surgical intervention, we need to stop and take stock. Why aren’t we talking more about the toxic beauty conversations affecting women under the guise of anti-ageing? And it’s not just older women who are affected by these expectations. Younger women too are taught to fear ageing, going from being hyper-visible in their youth to sometimes being completely invisible in their older years, not seen and not wanting to be seen.
It is no surprise to know that women are spending vast amounts on trying to outdo the affects of time. According to P&S Intelligence, the anti-ageing consumer market is set to grow from $191.6 billion in 2019 to $421.4 billion by 2030. And some reports suggest that women are starting treatments in their 20s and 30s.
Thankfully, in recent years, we have started to talk about the negative affect of some of these beauty ideals on girls and young women, how it affects their self esteem, as well as how the privilege of "being pretty" affects women – from marriage prospects to employment prospects and salaries, to their value and status as they grow older.
To take that forward, we need to change how we converse about beauty and ageing. For example, we need less talk of "She looks so young for her age" and more data, more information, and more space to diverse images and concepts of beauty.
Why should older women’s self-perception, self worth and opportunities be any less valuable than that of any other age group? It is not a question of one over the other. By not having this same conversation, not only are we doing a disservice to older women, we are negatively influencing girls, who from young age pick up the fear of ageing. Young women growing up today should not view their appearance as their most powerful asset. This is not easy in a world that celebrates limited ideas of beauty.
Young or old, there is pressure on women to live up to impossible beauty standards. Yet, because of the ageism overlaid on the sexism inherent in these standards, we tend to assume it’s a "battle" that women have to fight. That’s a red herring, the insidious trap of the beauty ideal that pits women against each other, instead of defining beauty on our own terms, no matter what our age.
Linda Evangelista, the Canadian model, now 56, displays a creation at the Louvre Carrousel in March 1995, Paris. AFP
At the Estee Lauder "Modern Muse" Fragrance Launch Party at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City in 2013. AFP
In 2014, New York City. AFP
Linda Evangelista attends the 2015 Fragrance Foundation Awards, at Lincoln Centre in New York City. AFP
At the Dolce & Gabbana collection show during the 2015 Spring / Summer Milan Fashion Week, Milan. AFP
The 2013 Fashion Awards in New York. AFP
The '90s supermodel attends the "China: Through The Looking Glass" Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 2015. She says she's been a recluse for the past five years because of a botched plastic surgery that left her "disfigured". AFP
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
Riders must be 14-years-old or over
Wear a protective helmet
Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Premier League clubs spent £230 million (Dh1.15 billion) on January transfers, the second-highest total for the mid-season window, the Sports Business Group at Deloitte said in a report.
Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre Power: 150hp Torque: 250Nm Price: From Dh139,000 On sale: Now
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area. Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife. Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”. He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale. Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
