“La llaman ‘BODY’”

FULLY FUELED 

BY BASILE MOOKHERJEE

Where there was once a desert, cities are now sprawled out for miles and miles, and their parts, as though copy-pasted together, seem to bubble up from the black depths of computer screens. 16-lane highways dictate the urban rhythm and texture here, daily commutes often take several hours. In the Emirates everything happens in and around your car. So it’s little wonder that young Emiratis feel most at home in their cars. Cars symbolise freedom, they can be movable dwellings or temporary autonomous zones, cars are tax-free, and the main thing is to show off with them: your car shows who you are and who you wish to be. Besides being status symbols, cars also serve as a potent means of seduction in a society in which direct contact with the other sex is forbidden. 

Hodgy (2017)