Tajmeel Beauty Academy

I recently came across the Qatar International Beauty Academy, Tajmeel. It really grabbed my attention because I found out that it is entirely run by women, all the way from the top. It is part of the Social Development Center (SDC), which is a center that helps develop the capabilities of the members of society in Qatar by offering programs to nurture and further develop these capabilities. Within the SDC lies the Qatar International Beauty Center, Tajmeel. Tajmeel is Qatar’s first professional training center that offers internationally awarded Beauty Therapy qualifications. It’s called the ITEC qualification and it is awarded by the International Therapy Examination Council in the UK.

I decided to visit Tajmeel to see what the place is like, and I was very impressed. Here are a few pictures of the academy, inside the classrooms, and all around.



When I first heard about Tajmeel, I was very impressed to hear that such a highly qualified and highly reputed academy is entirely run by women, and especially here in the Middle East. That got me thinking about Sutherland’s theory of Power-With. Power-With involves women working together to define and achieve feminist goals. Power-With encloses three stages. 1- struggling within the constraints of an oppressive system 2- coming to realize the extent of this oppression 3- working together to confront the system that oppresses them.

Although it’s not to that extent, but the women here are oppressed to a certain degree. Middle eastern women aren’t expected to have a huge successful career. This goes back to the theory of breadwinners, and how the men are supposed to be the breadwinner of the family, while the women sit at home and take care of housework and the children. And that’s when the Power-With theory comes in. The women here started struggling with this oppressive system, so they got together and built this highly reputable and highly educational academy, to help other women like them educate themselves and make something of themselves.

Although this is probably one of the only enterprises created and run by women, but it’s a huge start. Women are beginning to take charge and not only request, but enforce change.

Women are being judged!

In our last sociology class we learned about the family and how the gender roles might affect the relationship of the family members. But what was interesting to know is that each member of the family does his/her role depending on what’s the society expects from them. However, since the role of women outside the house has changed, this has led to the secondary shift. In the book Cinematic Sociology written by Jean-Anne Sutherland, Kathryn Feltey they described the second shift to be a job for all working women where they get to do household after they are done with their working day.    

Breadwinner system dose not apply to families of 21^st century

The breadwinner system is a system where men are the only providers of money for the family. But this system no longer describes families of the 21^st century. Women today might earn more than men. And the main reason why women work today its because of the economic conditions. Parents with one income simply can’t support their family, thus women work to provide the second income for the family.

It is the expectations of the society

In the past few years we can see a significant changes in the role of women out side the house, but what about the roles of men inside the house! Surprisingly, though women are helping in earning money role of men inside the house did not change very much. Mostly because of society expectations, it’s perceived as women’s roles to take care of the house, thus men don’t help inside the house.

Women in Gulf

Though the role of women have changed in the gulf in the past few years, yet society especially older generations will perceive working woman care less about her family. In the gulf, people are still not convinced that woman can be a workingwoman and a mother! But since work gives a woman a feeling of security and she will be earning money to support her family, this makes her care more about her family. So women are being judged because it is expected from them to take care of the family not the men.   

Everybody works but father

“What does your dad do?”

“My dad? Uh, he’s a lecturer,” I looked down at my feet, which were making patterns in the playground’s sandy grit.



“Oh, what subject does he teach?”

“Language,” I muttered, gritting my teeth. I knew what was coming next.

“Interesting. Where?”

“Well,” I was thinking fast about how I could change the topic, “He doesn’t teach anywhere as of now…”

For as long as I can remember, that was the one reply I had for that seemingly harmless “where does your dad work” question. I was beginning to give up hope that my answer would ever change.

“Uh, no, he doesn’t work right now.”

It did come up more often back then in high school, when I was in the process of interacting and developing a social identity.

And it wasn’t a pleasant question.

“Oh, he’s a lecturer. Hey, I love your shoes! Where did you get those from?”

Dad had a history of being constantly in and out of jobs. Six months here, two months there, yearlong gaps in between. Looking back now, I think I can pin the inconsistency on spikes in he-cession.



Nonetheless, it was to transform my societal outlook forever.

That was the time that saw my dear mother become "Mrs. Dad" when circumstances made her take over as the family breadwinner. She worked round the clock—7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at her workplace, then longer hours back home.

My dad?

That is the funniest part.



His shift would begin everyday at around the same time, lasting the same number of hours.

Only, he would make breakfast, sweep and mop, tidy rooms and prepare lunch. I think he could have related very well to the following review from the 1983 comedy drama film, Mr. Mom:

“Jack soon finds himself overwhelmed with laundry, cooking, cleaning and other household chores. He is frustrated with the never ending menial tasks. His only social contracts around the house are his children and though he tries to engage them in work, he is often left feeling frustrated and alone. Jack shouts at his wife, ‘My brain is like oatmeal. I yelled at Kenny today for coloring outside the lines! Megan and I are watching the same TV shows and I’m liking them! I’m loosing it.’”

Only, I must say, life wasn’t all that rough. Mom and dad adapted to the bizarre responsibility transverse. I did too.

Before long, I had spent 12 years living in this role reversal. Although the family responsibilities clearly appeared uncomfortably topsy turvy to me…..well, I was okay. It was just the way my family worked—dad cooked and cleaned, mom brought in the money. I was habituated.

Yet when that question was asked, I would always be “thinking fast about how I could change the topic.” One more time, I used to brood, and I’m going to snap. “No, my dad doesn’t work for god sakes!! Only mom does. But you what? That is okay with me! Because they have managed to make it work so well…”

Come to think of it, although it was always okay with me, I knew, even as a fifth grader, that it would never be so with society.

Society.



That rigid structure of standards and values everyone wishes to be a well- integrated part of.

If you function out of norms, you are the odd one out.

For all those years before my father finally got a steady job, my family and me-- despite being financially well off-- were the odd-ones-out.

That is how society is fundamentally structured. The male and female spheres of responsibilities have been laid out quite distinctly, almost as a stringent law of nature that has to be respected and abided by. The man pays the bills; the woman takes care of the children. She can have a career, which is becoming increasingly common these days, but home and hearth still remain the top priority.


Although this concept is increasingly changing in today’s fast-paced, modernizing society, an absolute gendered division of labor in the private realm is still a difficult idea to digest.

“I just think that’s absurd,” said sociology professor Geoff Harkness, and I couldn’t agree more. What’s wrong so long as a family manages to function?

But modern society is yet to catch up with the notion. I think we were a family at the wrong place at the wrong time. Hopefully, a few years from now, society will be much more receptive to the idea.



Oh and dad, if you are reading this, I just want you to know that you make the best pea and potato soup ever.