Some Observations On My Most Recent Iraq Trip

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I have been to Iraq every year for the past 20 years, and generally spend most of my working year there. On my last trip back from the States to Baghdad, where I live with my family, I was surprised to see a new corner shop next to my street. There was a small beauty store that had niche products for sale, and it was weird seeing teen acne treatment products being sold in an area where shops historically sold only the essentials for living.

This seems to be a new era that we are entering, and some see it as more Western influence taking over traditional Iraqi values. I won’t provide my opinion on that, but I do think it will be interesting to see if the beauty industry is able to gain traction in Iraq. These are a population of individuals who haven’t been exposed to much more than homemaking, and now that they are given more freedom and take on jobs and gain their own independence, the beauty industry’s growth could be tied to the empowerment of women.

That’s all for now, I just wanted to write an entry about this interesting observation I had on this trip back. Until next time.