Sharpie Tube-Tops

One of my rituals, that I've developed after living overseas for 10 years, is going to the newsagent and getting a Sunday Times from London. They are usually flown in and therefore do not arrive until Monday morning. I usually have to pay about $10 for one. I know I can read it online for free but there is just something about having the actual thing that makes it worth every penny. I am doing the same thing here in Abu Dhabi, but the paper doesn't arrive on the stands until Tues. Why, you might ask if you have blue eyes. It became obvious once I looked inside. All the girls in perfume and lingerie ads that had little too much skin showing, were marked through with a black marker. Someone has the job of taking every foreign publication and marking through anything offensive. Sometimes they just do a one-line tube top, sometimes a full mark out. It certainly makes you more aware that what we find acceptable in the West is completely inappropriate here. (Either that or black tube tops are in fashion.) I'll be writing more on censorship and modesty in future posts....

ps. we now own a home in Colleyville complete with pond and goldfish.