‘In case your spouse asks you to vary diapers, change your spouse’: the Arabic hit present that parodies the patriarchy | Ladies’s rights and gender equality

In Beirut’s Gemmayzeh neighbourhood a rented flat has been reworked into a movie set: vivid studio lights in a comfortable lounge. At its centre is Maria Elayan – although she is barely recognisable. Filming for the third season of Smatouha Minni (You Heard It From Me), a feminist collection in Arabic, the actor is in a padded muscle go well with, sporting a slicked-back black wig and beard.

“In case your spouse asks you to vary the diapers, it’s best to change her,” the Palestinian-Jordanian barks, mimicking an aggrieved self-help podcaster. An hour later, she is slouched in a hoodie, shisha pipe in a single hand and a gaming console within the different, shouting: “Mama, I’m hungry. Are you able to make me a sandwich?”