Crumz restaurant, Deir Ghbar – Amman, on the late months of a sticky summer, it can be overwhelming. At a late afternoon we head to meet Miss Farah where she awaits us in a pre-interview meeting to discuss her feature, wearing her big Gucci shades, sitting in her fancy-schmancy training suite and fiddling with her BlackBerry… ‘oh great, she’s one of those!’. I wave to the waiter to come, ‘Please sir, can I have a coconut flavored coffee?’ I ask as I adjust my seat, greeting Jordan’s own figure model! As pleased you’d be when meeting a figure you used to see while switching channels between commercial breaks, you’d be even more pleased, or less pleased, to meet them! In Farah’s case, you’d be instantly shocked, and damn if I say, you wouldn’t expect Farah to be Farah! She’s a big fuss! A loose cannon, and less of a demeanor, but more of a packaged doll! I’d flip files of photos, note books filled with ideas and searching for what suites her best, pitching concepts that would evoke her image into anything but typical, while she’s sitting there, eagerly listening and nodding and adding to our thoughts. And as me and the photographer (also a Farah), discuss themes, angles and locations, she keeps herself involved by praising about shoots she has seen on the net or other magazines, using big words like “under-grounds”, “Fetish and leather”! She’s the one excited about the feature more than we are; she’s one step away from being an energy drink herself.
And if anyone could persuade us to drop down and give 20 its Farah! The diminutive Jordanian became one of the hottest names to watch on TV and off. A gaggle of bloggers have enshrined her androgynous style with social networking sites admiring her alternative image. But people seem to be interested into Farah’s personal life more than her TV appearances. Don’t get me wrong, watching a woman who looks like a Kardashian lifting heavy weights while all the men in the background are either giving snarky looks or simply, jealous, is absolutely empowering and inspiring.
“I find it a bit disrespectful for others to assume something about someone’s sexuality based on what sport they like or whether they like tattoos or not. What difference does it make?”
But the world seem to take another look into Farah’s sexuality, is she or isn’t she? “It gets ridiculous sometimes! Once at an interview with a hejabi woman, sitting across from me for two hours she eventually asked me if anyone questions my sexuality, I was like ‘what kind of question is this?’ She looked at me and said ‘oh no, this won’t be in the interview if you don’t want to’, and I said ‘why are you asking me then’, ‘I’m just curious’ she said” Farah conversed, “I find it a bit disrespectful for others to assume something about someone’s sexuality based on what sport they like or whether they like tattoos or not. What difference does it make?” And whatever she seems to be, men and women alike fall under her spell and her jaw-dropping curves/muscles. “This is what I hate, people assume that I’m tough because of the tattoos, but when I talk they see another side, like being funny or whatever….”. “Everybody looks at me and they’d think hardcore or manly, but if you Google that (figure models) you’d see body goddesses with such bodies.”