Blog
Uffing for a Better Life: Men in Heels Take on Beirut
Uf Chou Laziz is a volunteer-based social initiative on a creative mission to instill fun and happiness in the Lebanese community through pranks, flash mobs, and random acts of kindness.
The release of their latest video Men in Heels tones with ‘Inspiring Change’, this year’s International Women’s Day theme, and the various events scheduled for the occasion including KAFA’s protest walk Saturday from Mathaf to the Palace of Justice against domestic violence.
The idea of the video is very simple, formally dressed male trio Samah El Hakim, Wajid El Hitti and Samar El Hitti basically decided to walk around Le Mall in heels (and not any type of heels, PLATFORM heels).
Bystanders, stunned by the randomness of what was going on, showed mixed reactions. Some just burst out laughing (following the usual 3 mouth-wide-open seconds), others approached the three men to either ask for clarifications or snap a few photos (they were happy posing for the camera; well of course you don’t get to wear heels every day).
We can assume finding the right heels was not the easiest thing ever (not that the men were demanding or anything). “What seemed to us quite an obvious task turned out to be an epic endeavor. We searched different shops in different regions of Lebanon for days but couldn’t find any high heel shoe bigger than 41,” Uf co-founder Wajid El Hitti tells Beirut.com. “Finally, we had to go with what we found in one of Western Beirut’s flea markets. This said, our feet were squeezed inside the shoes and this added to the ordeal,” he adds.
The video, dedicated to “mothers, sisters, wives, fiancées, girlfriends and all the amazing women of Lebanon and the world,” reached over 4,000 views as of publishing, and that’s less than 24 hours after its release. It ends with the statement “because she’s a woman… I respect her from head to heel!”
When asked about the role of women in Lebanese society, Wajid explains how “women are no longer subordinates; they are in key positions in the business world and venturing into politics and public work.” He calls for “challenging the status quo” when it comes to women’s equality. “We at Uf Chou Laziz encourage advocacy for women’s advancement everywhere in every way,” he tells Beirut.com.
Men in Heels is another uffing (add that to Urban Dictionary) project aiming to explore the potential for fun in Lebanon while delivering important social messages. The Uf Chou Laziz team of volunteers doesn’t seem to be running out of ideas any sooner as they’ve already planned several other shootings this year with an aim to post no less than one video per month.
And to use Wajid’s own words: “Uffing projects coming your way Lebanon! Can you feel it?”
[Yes we can]
The release of their latest video Men in Heels tones with ‘Inspiring Change’, this year’s International Women’s Day theme, and the various events scheduled for the occasion including KAFA’s protest walk Saturday from Mathaf to the Palace of Justice against domestic violence.
The idea of the video is very simple, formally dressed male trio Samah El Hakim, Wajid El Hitti and Samar El Hitti basically decided to walk around Le Mall in heels (and not any type of heels, PLATFORM heels).
Bystanders, stunned by the randomness of what was going on, showed mixed reactions. Some just burst out laughing (following the usual 3 mouth-wide-open seconds), others approached the three men to either ask for clarifications or snap a few photos (they were happy posing for the camera; well of course you don’t get to wear heels every day).
We can assume finding the right heels was not the easiest thing ever (not that the men were demanding or anything). “What seemed to us quite an obvious task turned out to be an epic endeavor. We searched different shops in different regions of Lebanon for days but couldn’t find any high heel shoe bigger than 41,” Uf co-founder Wajid El Hitti tells Beirut.com. “Finally, we had to go with what we found in one of Western Beirut’s flea markets. This said, our feet were squeezed inside the shoes and this added to the ordeal,” he adds.
The video, dedicated to “mothers, sisters, wives, fiancées, girlfriends and all the amazing women of Lebanon and the world,” reached over 4,000 views as of publishing, and that’s less than 24 hours after its release. It ends with the statement “because she’s a woman… I respect her from head to heel!”
When asked about the role of women in Lebanese society, Wajid explains how “women are no longer subordinates; they are in key positions in the business world and venturing into politics and public work.” He calls for “challenging the status quo” when it comes to women’s equality. “We at Uf Chou Laziz encourage advocacy for women’s advancement everywhere in every way,” he tells Beirut.com.
Men in Heels is another uffing (add that to Urban Dictionary) project aiming to explore the potential for fun in Lebanon while delivering important social messages. The Uf Chou Laziz team of volunteers doesn’t seem to be running out of ideas any sooner as they’ve already planned several other shootings this year with an aim to post no less than one video per month.
And to use Wajid’s own words: “Uffing projects coming your way Lebanon! Can you feel it?”
[Yes we can]