Last week, stars Jennifer Lopez, Camila Cabello, Celine Dion, and Halle Berry headlined a fashion show in one the unlikeliest of places: Saudi Arabia.
All four took the stage at designer Elie Saab’s “1001 Seasons of Elie Saab” runway show in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the founding of his label.
But the event was more than just about a milestone in haute couture.
A Night to Remember
On its own, the evening was a spectacle of glamour and nostalgia.
Berry dazzled in the same Elie Saab dress she wore to the 2002 Oscars, when she won best actress.
Cabello performed her hit “Havana” with a localized twist, singing, “Saudi-a-na-na-na.”
Dion — back performing since her 2022 diagnosis with stiff person syndrome — showed her regained vitality as she sang “I’m Alive” and other hits.
Earlier this year, she told Hoda Kotb on “Today” that singing with stiff person syndrome feels “like somebody is strangling you.”
And J-Lo, who has worn Elie Saab at the Academy Awards and other big events, performed her hits “Let’s Get Loud,” “On the Floor” and “Waiting for Tonight” in a dress that left little to imagine.
The Prince’s Dream
But the night was more than just fashion and music. It was part of Saudi Arabia’s larger push to rebrand itself as a global entertainment hub — an agenda that has as much to do with politics as it does with business.
The Elie Saab show was one of many events in the ongoing “Riyadh Season” series, held annually by the Saudi Arabian government’s General Entertainment Authority, headed by Turki Alalshikh, a former Saudi security official.
Long known for its religious conservatism and oil, Saudi Arabia wants to be the center of all things that glitter. Under the leadership of de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, the country has poured its oil surpluses into mega infrastructure projects and attracting big names for its sports leagues.
Saudi Arabia has brought in Cristiano Ronaldo to play for the Saudi Pro League’s Al Nassr club. It’s also waged what amounts to a coup in the world of Saudi Arabia, founding a competing tour to the PGA Tour, known as LIV Golf. The two tours are now in talks over a merger.
In the world of sports, Saudi Arabia’s power moves extend into boxing and tennis. It’s also almost a sure shot to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Saudi Arabia has little of a sports or cinematic culture of its own. What draws A-listers like Johnny Depp, Sharon Stone, and Will Smith is money.
Everyone loves money — but not as much as the rich. They really love it.
No Room for Politics
In many ways, life has improved for Saudi Arabians, including its women, who can now drive and work. The religious police have been pulled back.
Political freedoms, however, remain non-existent in this country of 35 million.
Women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was imprisoned for nearly three years and remains under a strict travel ban after her release. Her crime? Advocating for the very social rights now available to Saudi women. Ironic, isn’t it?
For Saudi Arabia’s rulers, the problem wasn’t what al-Hathloul asked for, but that she asked for it.
The new liberties afforded to Saudi Arabian women, granted a month after her second arrest, are to be seen as the prerogative of the ruler, not as the rights of the citizen.
After all, if the king or the crown prince grants the public one demand, what’s stopping them from asking for more?
The Inauthenticity of Hope
Just weeks before J-Lo performed in Saudi Arabia, she rallied for Vice President Kamala Harris in Las Vegas.
At the Harris rally, Lopez said, “Women have the power to make the difference in this election.”
But women in Saudi Arabia have no power to make a difference through elections. If they demand one, they’ll end up in jail, like Loujain al-Hathloul.
Entertainment and leisure are, of course, part of life. But the real world isn’t just fun and games.
Too often today, entertainers are confused for political leaders. Entertainment can also be a weapon of mass distraction, used to prevent ordinary people from focusing and organizing around real issues that affect daily lives.
Celebrity is also a powerful psychological tool. It creates a false sense of intimacy. We don’t know celebrities. And they don’t know us.
In fact, their personal and economic interests are often at odds with those of regular people — and with what they say in public.
In a Marie Clarie profile this month, actress Eva Longoria revealed that she lives most of her time outside the “dystopian” U.S. because she’s fed up with the “homelessness” and “taxes” in California. Like J-Lo, Longoria was an active campaigner for Harris.
To be fair, most, if not all of the celebrities who took the stage in Riyadh last week did so partly to honor a friend, Elie Saab.
But their performances were by no means free, with each likely earning payouts in the millions.
So, as it often does these days, Saudi money talked. And that’s something to keep in mind the next time you hear these celebrities speak.
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