“Get Ready For Suhoor” .. This is the title of MAC Cosmetics makeup tutorial that suggests an easy, simple makeup tutorial for Muslim women to wear during suhoor meal of Ramadan. It shows a makeup artist who applies eye cosmetics on a woman wearing a turban headscarf.
The ad was faced by mixed reactions among social media users, with most reactions mocking the makeup brand for using religious event to benefit from, calling the brand to stop using Ramadan for commercial purposes.
However, others assumed the brand was a little confused about the suhoor meal. Suhoor is the meal Muslims eat before dawn to consume all day before breaking their fast on sunset. It is the iftar meal, the main meal after sunset, that is mostly celebrated in family gatherings or outdoor places where women dress up.
Meanwhile, most Muslims do not put any effort into dressing for the suhoor meal as they wake up disheveled to enjoy it in pajamas particularly for those who have to get up early for work or school.
In addition to that suhoor is followed by Fajr prayer where those who are observing the fast should do Wudu- the act of ablution before praying, which means they will have to wash their faces anway.
Others argue that suhoor is celebrated differently around the world, especially in some countries of the GCC, one of the fastest-growing market of women’s cosmetics in the world, where it is common for women to get dressed up perfectly for suhoor gatherings and parties.
However, not all reviews were mocking the ad. Some people thought it is targeting specific markets in the Muslim world and others expressed their admiration for such a gesture from an international makeup brand, who did not forget Muslim women during Ramadan.
The ad was deleted from MAC Middle East on Youtube shortly after being uploaded. However, it is still on MAC Cosemtics Middle East on Instagram.
