Best and Worst: Saudi influencer Bayan Omar talks entertainment, fashion, and life

Saudi influencer Bayan Omar shared some favorite - and least-favorite - fashion trends. (Supplied)
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Updated 29 November 2024
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Best and Worst: Saudi influencer Bayan Omar talks entertainment, fashion, and life

DUBAI: The Saudi influencer shares some favorites — and least-favorites — from entertainment, fashion, and life. 

Best TV show/film you’ve ever seen?    

“Friends.” I have never seen a series with a cast that is so real. It is relatable even for our culture. For example, I relate a lot to Rachel, because I know a friend here in Saudi Arabia that looks like her and has her personality.  

Worst TV show/film you’ve ever seen?   

There’s a lot, but one I remember is “Tusk.” It was a bad idea and the animation was terrible. 

Best personal style moment so far?    

The dress I wore when I was nominated for the Best Content Creator Award in Dubai in 2022. I wore a white dress and I really liked that outfit. Also, every year we have MDLBeast (Soundstorm) in Saudi Arabia and I go all out for that — including the makeup and hair. 

Worst personal style moment?    

I don’t think I have one. I’ve never worn something that I’m not comfortable with or that I’m not impressed with the style. I like the outfits I put together because I create each one from scratch.  

  Best accessory for a little black dress?    

Gold. It just ties everything together and makes it look very nice. 

Worst accessory for a little black dress?    

Silver. I don’t like how it looks. I also don’t like silver with my skin tone. I feel like it doesn’t suit me. I prefer gold.  

Best fashion trend of 2024?    

I really like the olive green color trend. And denim skirts — I like to see a lot of forgotten trends like this come back. It takes me back in time and I like that a lot.  

Worst fashion trend of 2024?  

The neon trend. It grabs attention, but in a bad way. It takes away from the rest of the look. They don’t see your hair or your face, and I hate that.  

  Best advice you’ve ever been given? 

“Age is just a number.” My grandma used to say that all the time. She was so young when she passed away — everyone saw her as a young and youthful woman, because her soul was young.  

Worst advice you’ve ever been given?  

There’s an Arabic saying: “Eat what you like and wear what people like.” I don’t like that advice at all. You cannot represent yourself, or express your personality or your interests while wearing something that other people like. You need to represent yourself through what you like. If you always try to please people, you’ll never succeed.  

Best book you’ve ever read?    

“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***.” I always used to think certain things, but I never said them out loud. When I read this book, it was technically saying the same things and beliefs that I had in my mind. So I felt very connected. I got validation.  

Worst book you’ve ever read?    

I do not have a worst book. Every book you read, you end up learning something from it.  

Best holiday destination? 

I like Los Angeles and Amsterdam.  I feel like I belong in these cities — they are easygoing cities and very simple.  

Worst holiday destination?    

Istanbul. I didn’t like the people there. They were not very friendly and I don’t know how to communicate with unfriendly people or aggressive people who don’t smile. 

 

 

 


Art Cairo spotlights pioneering artist Inji Efflatoun

Updated 23 January 2026
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Art Cairo spotlights pioneering artist Inji Efflatoun

CAIRO: Art Cairo 2026 returned to Egypt’s bustling capital from Jan. 23-26, with visitors treated to gallery offerings from across the Middle East as well as a solo museum exhibition dedicated to pioneering Egyptian artist Inji Efflatoun.

While gallery booths hailed from across the Arab world, guests also had the chance to explore the oeuvre of the politically charged artist, who died in 1989.

Many of the pieces in the 14-work exhibition were drawn from the collection of the Egyptian Museum of Modern Art and cover four main periods of the artist’s work, including her Harvest, Motherhood, Prison and Knoll series.

While gallery booths hailed from across the Arab world, guests also had the chance to explore the oeuvre of the politically charged artist, who died in 1989. (Supplied)

Efflatoun was a pivotal figure in modern Egyptian art and is as well known for her work as her Marxist and feminist activism.

“This is the third year there is this collaboration between Art Cairo and the Ministry of Culture,” Noor Al-Askar, director of Art Cairo, told Arab News.

“This year we said Inji because (she) has a lot of work.”

Born in 1924 to an affluent, Ottoman-descended family in Cairo, Efflatoun rebelled against her background and took part heavily in communist organizations, with her artwork reflecting her abhorrence of social inequalities and her anti-colonial sentiments.

Many of the pieces in the 14-work exhibition were drawn from the collection of the Egyptian Museum of Modern Art and cover four main periods of the artist’s work, including her Harvest, Motherhood, Prison and Knoll series. (Supplied)

One untitled work on show is a barbed statement on social inequalities and motherhood, featuring a shrouded mother crouched low on the ground, working as she hugs and seemingly protects two infants between her legs.

The artist was a member of the influential Art et Liberte movement, a group of staunchly anti-imperialist artists and thinkers.

In 1959, Efflatoun was imprisoned under Gamal Abdel Nasser, the second president of Egypt. The artist served her sentence for four years across a number of women’s prisons in the deserts near Cairo — it was a period that heavily impacted her art, leading to her post-release “White Light” period, marked dynamic compositions and vibrant tones.

Grouped together, four of the exhibited works take inspiration from her time in prison, with powerful images of women stacked above each other in cell bunkbeds, with feminine bare legs at sharp odds with their surroundings.

Art Cairo 2026 returned to Egypt’s bustling capital from Jan. 23-26. (Supplied)

The bars of the prison cells obstruct the onlooker’s view, with harsh vertical bars juxtaposed against the monochrome stripes of the prison garb in some of her works on show.

“Modern art, Egyptian modern art, most people, they really don’t know it very well,” Al-Askar said, adding that there has been a recent uptick in interest across the Middle East, in the wake of a book on the artist by UAE art patron Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi.

“So, without any reason, all the lights are now on Inji,” Al-Askar added.

Although it was not all-encompassing, Art Cairo’s spotlight on Efflatoun served as a powerful starting point for guests wishing to explore her artistic journey.