There's been a debate among folks during Ramadan that the popular television shows aired during the holiday have unfairly maligned Saudi women with jokes about their spending, eating habits, gossiping and fear of Moroccan women. This alleged unfair stereotyping of Saudi women in our own country by our own people has offended a great many television viewers who apparently never heard of satire. But before I tackle the vital issue of humor at women’s expense allow me full disclosure in an effort to dispel any stereotypes. As a Saudi woman I do not fear Moroccan women as long as they never cross the threshold of my home or come within 1,000 meters of my husband. That proves that that I am secure as a Saudi woman.

I never engage in idle gossip. I conduct thorough research on Facebook before I talk about my friends and acquaintances behind their backs.

I never eat copious amounts of desserts because my husband refuses to stop at the sweets shop or Baskin-Robbins. I patiently explain to him that I wear an abaya in public so no one will ever know how much weight I gain, but he says he will know if only I could drive a car.

As someone once said — I don’t know who nor do I care (maybe it was me) — what is money if you can’t spend it? I can’t go to the cinema and I can’t have a girl’s night out without some slob trying to harass me for my phone number. At least salesmen show me pretty, shiny things that I can take home and put in the closet without looking at them for a year. I have some pretty fine handbags that I hope will still be in fashion in 2020.

I’ve watched enough American movies over the years to know that everything is exaggerated for dramatic effect. Unlike a lot of people I don’t even get offended watching “Homeland” and its depiction of our culture and religion. It’s like reading comic books. But I also know there is hardly a grain of truth in any of these shows. And the special broadcast of Ramadan television shows falls into the same category: gross exaggerations for comic effect with a grain of truth.

So really? Just how many Saudi women out there are willing to have a Moroccan housemaid? I have the answer: zero. Do we laugh at ourselves for our irrational behavior? Of course. My husband teases me all the time, begging for a Moroccan maid just to watch my blood boil, my eyes narrow and wait for the steam to come out of my ears. Nothing like married to a guy with a perverse sense of humor. The number of professional Saudi women entering the workforce at high-paying and prestigious jobs is astounding. These are independent, smart ladies who will take our country far. But they are just like any of us. They have a sense of humor about themselves.

How can we not laugh at ourselves? We live in a patriarchal society that refuses to allow us to drive a car to force us to depend on men. Of course some non-working Saudi women overeat, gossip and worry about real and imagined threats to their marriage. The West discovered a century ago during the Victorian era that tight control over women leads to depression, mental disorders and obesity. When the right to vote was granted, women became more integrated into society. It also helped that a world war brought women into the workplace, opening the door to the path of independence. We are not there yet, so for the time being laughing at our foibles seems like a healthy outlet to me.

Now back to business: If my husband mentions wanting a maid one more time, I have this frying pan I want to show him.

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