Main-Character Energy: A Letter From Our Editor | Harper’s Bazaar Arabia June 2023
Bazaar Arabia’s Editor in Chief Olivia Phillips shares the stories of main character women who know their worth, aren’t afraid to stand up, and are the true definition of a ‘diva’ in our latest issue…
There are few industries in the world that can claim to have cornered the market for main characters as much as fashion. Some of the less restrained among you might call them something else, but those more *ahem* alpha types jostling for elbow and iPhone space on the front row? At least no one could ever accuse them of not being entertaining.
There’s quite a difference between a little harmless hubris and downright diabolical manners, though. Last month a PR was regaling me with stories of the wild behaviour (no names, of course), of some folk whose me-first mentality had reached dizzying new heights. Or lows, depending on how you look at it. One – after being flown considerable hours on a press trip – refused to stay in the hotel as their room number was ‘unlucky’. The hotel was full so, instead, they flew straight back home. There is another culprit who is (in)famous for taking their family’s washing, and once even their curtains, with them on a press trip so that they would be dry cleaned by the hotel and charged back to the brand. My, my. Those poor PRs.
Of course, stories like these can so often be exaggerated, or even just fabricated outright – like a rumour that was circling last week about a friend of mine who allegedly refused to go to a show because they wouldn’t send a helicopter to pick her up. Although it was grossly untrue, I have no doubt that there are people out there who would relish being able to throw etiquette to the wind in this way. But it’s divas like this who give the rest of us a bad name. Most of us just want to live our maincharacter lives without a modicum of bad behaviour (fine… maybe a sprinkling every now and then, for taste), but are generally far more interested in just taking on the spirit with absolutely none of the spite.
It’s these characters that we’re celebrating in this issue; the ones who know their worth, and who aren’t afraid to stand up and say so. Leading the charge here is our cover star Balqees, whose formidable personal and professional journey has firmly cemented her star in the pantheon named ‘diva’ – but the best kind, obviously. She embodies that power, telling us, “I am 10 times stronger than the last cover we did [in 2020]. That was a character being liberated that you spoke to, but today she is liberated already. She is independent, strong, powerful and capable. But she still has much more to learn. How about that?” she ends with a smile. Now that’s some main-character energy. No helicopters necessary.
From Olivia’s Desk…
If you needed any more proof that Y2K nostalgia is still running riot, look to the resurgence of everyone’s kawaii favourite – nail stickers. Chanel has its perfectly manicured finger on the pulse as always, having just dropped Set Le Vernis – a kit comprising two varnishes, a top coat and two sheets of logo-stamped nail stickers. High five.
Editor’s Picks
Photography: Giulio Rustichelli. Creative Direction: Anna Castan. Styling: Cedric Haddad.
Editor in Chief: Olivia Phillips. Art Director: Oscar Yáñez. Make-Up and Hair: Massimo Serini. Photographer’s Assistant: Nicola Pagano. Stylist’s Assistants: Alice Balducci and Christian Marchesich. Florals: Maria Luisa Rocchi Flowers
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s June 2023 issue.
