Photography by Omar Sha3
Styling by Jad Toghuj
Characters: Umm Muhammad and Fatima Tha3laba
Jewelry by NAD
Creative direction by Khalid Abdel-Hadi
This article is part of the “Sana wara Sana” issue
In patriarchal societies, a simple domestic moment, who gets to sit in the front seat of the car, becomes a symbolic battlefield that reflects deeper structures of power, hierarchy, and gendered roles within the family. This photo essay explores the subtle but intense rivalry between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, a relationship both intimate and imposed, and often overlooked in critical discourse.
Drawing from popular culture, folklore, and comedy, where phrases like “How to piss off your mother-in-law” have become viral punchlines, this essay questions how traditional domestic hierarchies continue to define women’s relationships with each other. Through these super-staged portraits and editorial images, this essay visually navigates a question that social media debates tirelessly: who belongs beside the man, his mother or his wife? The front seat, far from being a casual spot, embodies visibility, proximity to power, and implicit social codes.
This series does not seek to take sides but to open space for reflection: What does it mean to inherit power? And what happens when two women are forced to share the same throne?
