Tajmeel Beauty Academy

I recently came across the Qatar International Beauty Academy, Tajmeel. It really grabbed my attention because I found out that it is entirely run by women, all the way from the top. It is part of the Social Development Center (SDC), which is a center that helps develop the capabilities of the members of society in Qatar by offering programs to nurture and further develop these capabilities. Within the SDC lies the Qatar International Beauty Center, Tajmeel. Tajmeel is Qatar’s first professional training center that offers internationally awarded Beauty Therapy qualifications. It’s called the ITEC qualification and it is awarded by the International Therapy Examination Council in the UK.

I decided to visit Tajmeel to see what the place is like, and I was very impressed. Here are a few pictures of the academy, inside the classrooms, and all around.



When I first heard about Tajmeel, I was very impressed to hear that such a highly qualified and highly reputed academy is entirely run by women, and especially here in the Middle East. That got me thinking about Sutherland’s theory of Power-With. Power-With involves women working together to define and achieve feminist goals. Power-With encloses three stages. 1- struggling within the constraints of an oppressive system 2- coming to realize the extent of this oppression 3- working together to confront the system that oppresses them.

Although it’s not to that extent, but the women here are oppressed to a certain degree. Middle eastern women aren’t expected to have a huge successful career. This goes back to the theory of breadwinners, and how the men are supposed to be the breadwinner of the family, while the women sit at home and take care of housework and the children. And that’s when the Power-With theory comes in. The women here started struggling with this oppressive system, so they got together and built this highly reputable and highly educational academy, to help other women like them educate themselves and make something of themselves.

Although this is probably one of the only enterprises created and run by women, but it’s a huge start. Women are beginning to take charge and not only request, but enforce change.