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The project tackles issues of female freedom,
beauty and sexuality in societies traditionally dominated by
men.
Atik, 27, said she conceived the project last year after her
younger sister Maria faced criticism from their mother.
"She has a big nose and my mum always made fun of her saying
'when are you going to do an operation for your nose?', 'your
nose is not nice for a girl'," the graphic designer said.
"I decided to do a drawing for my sister to show her that her
nose is beautiful and she doesn't have to listen to mum. And
this worked, she did not do an operation for her nose."
The picture won praise from local art supporters and quickly
turned into a series so far comprising seven illustrations.
Other illustrations read: "It's not nice for a girl to have
(body) hair", "It's not nice for a girl to like another girl" or
"It's not nice for a girl to live alone". They each comprise a
sketch, digitally drawn by Atik, along with a comment in Arabic.
"I think it's very important to sit and talk about such
subjects, so maybe we can break them or stop them or have the
courage to say 'no, I won't do my nose operation' or 'no, I want
to leave the house' or else," Atik said.
The illustrations, shared across the internet, have gathered
lots of reactions and shares. They have also increased Atik's
followers on one social media platform to 6,000.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
"I hadn't at all expected people to share them that much, and
women have started to send me things they hear from their
families and societies around them. Women from Egypt, Jordan,
Saudi Arabia... were touched by the illustrations I did, so that
was something really nice," she said.
Atik said she celebrates International Women's Day on March 8
every year by partying with friends.
"I think we have a long way to go in Lebanon and in the whole
world (on women's rights) but I think we're getting there,
little by little," she said.
Lebanon recently appointed the Arab world's first female
interior minister, one of four women in the country's
government. But though often considered liberal by regional
standards, Lebanon still allows marital rape and child marriage.
(Additional Reporting by Alaa Kanaan; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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