14 DAY TRIAL // Since she broke on the music scene, Katy Perry has been deemed anything from a breath of fresh air to a daring fashion icon and the much needed dash of originality that the industry had been dying for. In Saudi Arabia, Katy Perry is seemingly also potentially offensive for daring to show her tummy and legs on the cover of her album “One of the Boys,” which is why all her albums have been drawn over with a sharpie.
Blogger Susie is American, but is now living in Saudi Arabia and makes it her purpose of detailing her adventures in her new home. Her 16-year-old son is an avid music lover who also happens to have a crush on Katy Perry, both as a woman and as a performer. So, she bought him her album – only to discover that someone had drawn over her body with a sharpie so as to cover every bit of exposed flesh that was deemed offensive, despite the fact that the CD still had the plastic wrapping intact.
“One of the CDs I got for Capt. Kabob is called ‘One of the Boys,’ by a female artist named Katy Perry. Ok, I have to admit here that 16 year old Capt. Kabob thinks Katy Perry is pretty hot, but he really likes her music too. When he opened up the CD, we were both astonished however. I hadn’t noticed when I bought it, but the tightly sealed plastic wrap packaging had been removed and had been replaced with a clear plastic resealable envelope-type wrapper. The front cover of the little booklet tucked inside serves as the front of the CD cover. This little booklet insert has photos of the artist, a list of the songs and lyrics, as well as the artistic credits.” Susie writes of her discovery.
“Now those of you who have purchased CDs know how much trouble it is to take that plastic wrap off. And then to remove the front insert and especially removing the back insert from the CD case without breaking the plastic case can be tricky. So what it all boils down to is that the Saudi government is actually paying religious police members of the Committee for the Protection of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CVPVP) to remove the plastic wrap from these CDs, open up the CD cases, remove the front and back inserts, and carefully and painstakingly color in with a marker any photos baring exposed female flesh that is deemed objectionable.” Susie writes on her blog.
Of course, she also has pictures to prove the extreme lengths taken to make sure the public is not exposed to such “vulgarity” as seeing an artist’s legs, arms or tummy, although the artwork on Katy Perry’s album depicts her in very “decent” outfits by certain standards, some say.
As of now, neither Katy Perry nor someone from her management has been available for comment.
