It’s no secret that in the West, sex sells. But have you ever stopped to think about what the same product would look like advertised in a more conservative region of the world, such as the Middle East?

For example, let’s look at Britney: in the Western album cover on top we can see her full body in tight pants and a crop top, whereas in the second photo, we can only see her face.

It’s pretty interesting to think about how different cultures interpret different media symbols, and Miley Cyrus is of no exception here. 

In her “Bangerz” days, Miley was not exactly very wholesome, so it’s no surprise that she’s been edited in the second photo to have her legs covered up.

An interesting fact: in Saudi Arabia, the mutaween or “religious police” defends the virtue of Saudi citizens and makes sure they are compliant with Shari’a Law. 

Here we see that TLC has been given longer sleeves and their midriffs have been covered. It actually doesn’t look too bad in terms of the photoshopping!

It’s really no surprise at all that this one was edited...it would even be considered a pretty raunchy album cover for most American audiences! Accordingly, in the second photo they gave her a cute little skirt!

This example just proves that there is a profound similarity between the cultures: that both the West and the Middle East don’t really want to see Justin Bieber’s face. Yeah, let’s just stick with the second album cover. We’re cool with that.

Even pure and innocent Tay Tay wasn’t immune from having her shoulders photoshopped. Although, blue really was an odd color choice there. 

A lot of times, the mutaween will just use a sharpie to blot out any parts they deem inappropriate!

“Stripped” was arguably one of Christina Aguilera’s most iconic album covers that featured her shirtless with those lace-up bell-bottom pants that all of us 2000s kids remember. 

In the second image she’s been given a black long-sleeve shirt and long denim-looking skirt.

Oh look, just a nice family going for a swim in their little pool. 

Wait a minute...mom’s been transformed into a beach ball! 

But really though, that’s somewhat impressive photoshopping! Kind of...

These images show advertisements for Clarks, a British shoe manufacturer. The image on the left is from Kuwait, where the model is allowed to have her knee exposed, while the image on the right is from Saudi Arabia, where the model must have her hair and legs covered. 

Very interesting comparison!

Holy '90s, Batman! If this fashion doesn’t scream 1996, then we don’t know what does. 

Because the style at the time tended to be so baggy and less revealing, not a whole lot was changed about this photo.

Here’s another interesting comparison between two Middle Eastern cultures. 

Hasna is a Moroccan singer. You can clearly see by the top image that Moroccan culture is a little more liberal when it comes to fashion!

The cat may be hiding Mariah Carey’s exposed skin in the second photo, but one thing’s definitely constant about both photos: that cat looks pissed.

The second image here is actually not too bad. Also what’s up with that weird furry jacket-thing? And the unnatural amount of photoshopped oil on her skin in the first image? Photoshop can turn sour in both directions, people...

The second image here actually meshes pretty well -- the flower blends in and looks like it’s supposed to be some sort of spiritual-looking dress on Ms. Christina.

Seeing these images side-by-side certainly gives you some perspective about the differences between the two cultures! It makes you think about how sexualized the human body is in the West, and conversely, how sexuality is taboo in many Middle Eastern cultures.