Makeup Ban for Women in Syria’s Public Sector Prompts Outcry

An edict from the governor of Latakia province barring female government and public-sector employees from wearing makeup during official hours has sparked online mockery and public alarm. Memes teased the “genetic curse of facial hair” among Syrian women, and influencer Sultana Fawaz joked that it was part of a government plot, declaring, "Makeup is a red line." The decision has revived wider fears about the direction of a national government that includes Islamist former rebels, with some Syrians worrying that seemingly small rules could presage religious restrictions.

The makeup order arrived around the same time a local government near Damascus barred men from working in women’s shops, and comes amid other contested moves such as changes to school curricula and border officers confiscating musical instruments or alcohol. Reactions among women have been mixed.

Syria, Latakia

syria, latakia, makeup ban, public sector, female employees, governor edict, sultana fawaz, islamist rebels, religious restrictions, online mockery