March 2017 www.womanthismonth.com news 8 Over to you # Trending What’s caught our eye in the news this month. Pink Tax – A Montreal woman plans to take eight major retailers to court in a proposed class action lawsuit for allegedly charging women more for hygiene products than men, despite the fact that some products have identical ingredients. The so-called “pink tax” – a consumer phenomenon in which women pay more than men for the same products – has been widely reported on. Analysis from data mining company Parsehub found that women pay on average 43 per cent more than men for 3,000 products surveyed. ctvnews.ca Saudi Arabia has announced it will allow female-only gyms to open across the country – but only for people to lose weight. The conservative Islamic country has maintained a ban on women participating in competitive sports but has now relaxed rules on them going to the gym for health reasons. Princess Reema bint Bandar said that the Islamic Kingdom planned for every district and neighbourhood to have a gym, saying: ‘It is not my role to convince the society, but my role is limited to opening the doors for our girls to live a healthy lifestyle away from diseases that result from obesity and lack of movement.” Okaz Win, Win, Win We’ve got a very special exclusive gift from those lovely people at Amouage to give away this month. Blossom Love is the most recent addition to the luxury brand’s floral-themed The Secret Garden Collection. It reveals the romance of a perfumed secret garden where the light, sweet and delicate nature of cherry blossom nectar marries with rose to reveal inner boldness and a memorable heart caressed by the exotic sophistication of Ylang Ylang. This floral love story is embraced by the seductive allure of amaretto, tonka bean and vanilla before melting into sandalwood and cashmeran, to create an intense and enduring fragrant bouquet of memories. After a strictly limited launch in February, Blossom Love will be available at Amouage stores this month and we’re giving one lucky reader the opportunity to be among the first to get their hands on a 100ml bottle, worth around BD100. Perfect for Mother’s Day – or for yourself! For a chance to win visit Woman This Month’s social media pages and keep your eyes peeled for our competition. Good luck everyone. Our post about the region’s largest IKEA store opening in Bahrain got the highest engagement. On Instagram Woman This Month’s post about the collaboration between Debenhams and Aab, to cater to broader customer needs, received the most likes. On Twitter, Woman This Month’s post about the IKEA store opening in Bahrain was the most liked. Your Shout I was so inspired after reading about the Iron Ladies in the February issue. Sometimes, in our culture, it seems women are lagging behind and not so encouraged when it comes to sport. However, seeing Hannah, Rana and Mariam’s achievements and reading their words encouraging other girls has given me the push I needed. I’ve been out on my bicycle for the first time since I bought it and I even managed to get my husband away from the games console to join me. Thanks and keep up the good work. Fatima. I loved, loved, loved last month’s ‘Get the Look’. I’m really not a girly girl and I’m always stuck for inspiration when it comes to going to posh events but the idea of teaming a jumpsuit with a tux is perfect for me. I might not be able to splash out on the gorgeous Naeem Khan sequinned version, but I’ll be keeping my eyes open for something similar. And the tuxedo jacket has already become a wardrobe staple. Naimh. Got something you want to get off your chest? Congratulations, commiserations and remonstrations all welcome. We'll carry the best one each week. Follow us on: Instagram: @woman_this_month Twitter: @WomanThisMonth Facebook: Woman This Month We want to hear your thoughts on Woman This Month. Write to us at [email protected] February 2017 22 www.womanthismonth.com PEOPLE | interview Hannah Al Khalifa, 26, was the first Bahraini woman past the post. Born to a Bahraini father and a Scottish mother, she was living in London and moved to the island in September 2015, which is when she took up competition seriously. A freelancer in architectural design, she says: “I’ve always been very sporty and just decided to give it a go. I was the fifth Bahraini woman to finish last year; this year I was first!” Rana Al Alawi, 24, is the baby of the bunch and was the second Bahraini woman finisher. A lawyer working with Batelco, this was her first Ironman. She says: “I was never sporty at school; in fact I broke my hand playing volleyball. But I always felt happy when I was running.” Her first proper race was the November 2015 Cross Island and she got her triathlon bike for her birthday in April 2016. Mariam Turki, 32, took part in last year’s event but only did the cycling leg. The mum of two, who works in banking, says: “I was crying on the bike and didn’t think I would make it, but I did. Afterwards I thought ‘That’s not enough, I want to do the whole thing now!'” She started training in March last year and also got her bike for her birthday. Mariam was the fourth Bahraini woman to complete the race. So what is Ironman? It’s a multi-discipline race in which competitors, or teams, swim 1.9km, cycle 90km and run 21.1km; the overall distance is 70.3 miles – a half Ironman. As a way of promoting the sport, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, himself a keen triathlete and Ironman competitor, announced that he would pay for the first five Bahraini men and first five women to attend the world championships. But really, this sounds HARD! Why would anyone want to put themself through months of brutal training and seriously taxing competition? Rana explains: “I heard about it through Sarah Al-Thawadi [in fact they all did]; she was second last year but was injured and couldn’t compete this year. She told me about the benefits of Ironman training. You might think of it as a commitment, but it’s a lifestyle. It gives you more discipline and not just in your training but in all areas of your life, for example at work. And it’s sociable; you can train with a group or by yourself; the community is very supportive.” Mariam adds: “After I gave birth to my second child, I was desperate to lose weight. My uncle has a running group called the Happy Team and I asked if I could join them; that’s when I heard about triathlon. I decided, if I was going to do it I wanted to train properly so I contacted Greer [Sansom], who trains us all and then I met these girls, who make training fun.” “When we first rode together, I couldn’t keep up, all I could see was Mariam looking behind her to see where I was,” says Rana. “I couldn’t even keep up with the warm-up!” confesses Hannah. Yet, they all went on to not only complete the What makes someone want to travel 70plus miles under their own steam? Liz O’Reilly met the Bahraini stars of the most recent Ironman 70.3 who will be representing their country at the coming world championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in September. Iron Ladies Bahraini finishers, from left, Hannah, Rana and Mariam with their trophies and, below, the three women with coach Greer Most favourited and retweeted post on Twitter Most Liked Post on Instagram Most Liked Post on Facebook
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