When Dubai Bling was launched, I was hoping I wouldn’t be asked to review it. Evidently, the universe was not listening. We are now.
Dubai BlingThis was the most anticipated show of the month. It rose to the top 10 in just a few days. It follows ten millionaire self-made (but other reports have indicated that). only four of them are ‘actual’ millionairesYou can watch all eight episodes in about 45 minutes.
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Zeina Khoury is Highmark Real Estate’s CEO. She begins the first episode. Dubai Bling’s unofficial narrator. Safa Siddiqui was a former real-estate agent and is now a fashionista. She married billionaire Fahad Sirdiqui. Lojain Omran, TV presenter and socialite Loujain Aldada, also known as DJ Bliss, is with his wife Danya Mohammed (youtuber). We have Kris Fade, a radio host, and Brianna Fade his wife, who are brand managers at Farhana Bodi. They are also social media influencers and Forever Rose CEO Ebraheem El Samadi.
You will hear these people speak about their business occasionally, but the majority of the show is about their daily life in Dubai. What I find odd is how can the show’s focus will largely be on their relationships, which are basically on fire, instead of something that’s a bit more… mature. The show pits women against each other. They fight like a group of teenagers, snitching and fighting all the time. It reminds me of Mean Girls who were either wealthy or hard working to be entrepreneurs. I wish the show focused a bit more on the latter because I am certain it won’t be easy for them to reach where they are without their fair share of struggles.
Despite what the stars may have said The show is not scriptedIt is difficult to believe, as gossip and backbiting make this seem unbelievable. An example is Safa throwing Fahad’s clothes in episode one because she doesn’t have space for her clothes. He even fights her, asking her to move into a larger house. Although I can understand that rich people have problems, the whole scene seemed too absurd. Another example is their habit of partying and traveling to fancy places, but rarely working. If they are millionaires, I am certain they have *some* responsibilities concerning their business. Show real parts if the discussion is about’reality.
Even if logic is not an issue, I find it difficult to accept the way the gender roles are played and the stereotyping of the show. Feminists will most likely have to argue with the cast and crew about various issues. The first and most obvious is that no matter how hard they try to make it work for women’s empowerment, it fails in every way. Safa is criticized by her friends for encouraging surrogacy rather than having the child. Lojain claims that she also breastfed two of their cousins. This whole scene should not have been on the show. Why should I, or anyone, need to know such a detail?
It also displays hypocrisy as Farhana is criticized for having sponsors. Zeina tells Farhana not to invite Farhana anywhere if she wants her business to be mixed with her professional life. Zeina and Safa also make fun of LJ after she didn’t like her date to Ebraheem. They say that she married young and did not work like they did, which again buys into the idea that she is a ‘gold digger’, something that Ebraheem’s mother explicitly says later in the episodes.
Then we have Zeina’s husband, who says he would not visit couples therapy when Kris revealed that he and his wife were going. It simply accepts the same stereotype over-and-over. LJ may reject a man at another point. He asks her if she is in a bad mood and not just leave her alone. I am most concerned about how many people around the world are watching this show. Some aren’t even aware of the social repercussions. While the show makes an effort to be awake, it falls short by making the same casual remarks.
The show encourages everyone to have a better life, even viewers who enjoy it as a cringe-fest. It shows Dubai as the city of gold where there are many opportunities for you, even if you have immigrated with “just 300 dollars”, which Zeina did. Let’s not get into too much drama. Dubai BlingDubai tourism is the focus of this show. This show is a strong selling point for the country, and it has aspirational value. Because we know the Middle East is growing, Dubai BlingIt is the one show that encourages viewers to think about their whole existence. It was a great show for me. It gives you the chance to see how great the country can be if you have enough money. You might think that many people see moving to Dubai as their ultimate goal.
While I admire that they tried to preserve some aspects of their culture, the show is a disaster, showing us what wealth is all about. They are mean and troubled and never value the relationships in their lives. I understand it’s a reality show, so you must not be so critical thinking, but these are some glaring errors that I had to mention. Furthermore, it shows that regardless of your wealth, your perceptions of the world will never change. They view people as commodities, and they degrade them fast just to get rid of them.
You should not watch this show. If you are able to endure the following points and enjoy drama mixed with luxury, this show can be your guilty pleasure. It shows Dubai in a very nice way, and it has been well shot. You forget what you see after a while. After watching the first three episodes, it was difficult to recall what each episode was about. It might make sense to take a deep dive, then live your life through them. Then, you can move on with your day.
