Sura and Noor from MAUJ - Female Sexuality in Conservative Cultures and Bringing Pleasure Back Into The Arab World

Did you know that the old Islamic texts celebrated female pleasure?

Noor and Sura are the founders of Mauj, the first sexual and menstrual wellness brand by and for Arab women. Mauj exists to de-stigmatize the conversation around women’s bodies in the Arab world and to make the experience of discovering our bodies, sexuality, and pleasure as shame-free, easy, and celebratory as possible. Since launching the brand in 2021, Mauj has rapidly grown its community to over 100,000 followers with thousands of satisfied customers. The brand has been celebrated in major media outlets including VICE Arabia, VOGUE and The Economist, referred to as the "first of its kind, ground-breaking digital platform for Arab women."

(00:00) Intro

(01:25) Starting a sexual wellness brand in the Arab world

(03:27) Sexual liberation in the West v. the Arab World

(09:07) The surprising erotic history of the islamic world

(14:01) Differences across the Middle East when it comes to attitudes towards sexual pleasure

(16:33) How they create engaging content on social media

(23:07) Considerations while designing a vibrator for Arab women

(26:07) Obsession with virginity

(26:50) Public reaction to Mauj

(29:22) Letters to their fathers

(35:14) The bigger picture: the link between sexuality, pleasure and creativity, autonomy

(40:14) Advice for entrepreneurs in sexual wellness in more conservative cultures

(43:21) What is next for Mauj?

Links:

Mauj Platform - https://www.mauj.me/

Mauj Shop - https://maujshop.me/

Mauj Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mauj.me/

Habeeb Akande (sex educator, historian and erotologist) - https://www.instagram.com/habeeb_akande/

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