reflects the UAE’s Arab identity DUBAI: As the Arab world salons, Twitter spaces and cafés run abuzz with both praise and criticism of Netflix’s latest show “Dubai Bling”, one thing’s for certain so far — Saudi TV host and star Lojain Omran is the bling’s brightest. The banker-turned-television personality began her career in Bahrain at Visa before shifting gears to the silver screen — which is where she made her mark on the world. Following a stint of successful gigs as a host on several shows on Bahrain TV and Rotana Khalejia, Omran stood out as the familiar face the Arab world would wake up to in MBC’s Sabah Al-kheir ya Arab (Good Morning Arabs!). While Omran’s cast mates may more suitably fit the stereotypical reality tv star, her own experience and background prove her to be the outlier. Her influence across the region has earned her the appointment of ambassador of the Mohammed bin Rashid Award for Tolerance, as well as being celebrated as 2018’s Arab woman of the year by the Arab Women’s Foundation in London. And with other Dubai Bling-ers flaunting their lavish lifestyles and personal lives on social media, Omran has won hearts by showing how much she cares for her family members. The show itself and many of thr show’s millionaires, however, has seen mixed reactions from critics. One Twitter user, Khawla Al-Fahim, criticized both “Dubai Bling” and “Real Housewives of Dubai” for being “trivial” and “superficial”. Washington Post journalist Sarah Dadouch said: “Need someone to write an analytical deep dive on the addictive garbage fire that is Dubai Bling.” Several users took to social media to discuss their favorite and least-favorite characters. DJ Bliss, one of the people on the show, even took to Twitter to address the negative comments against some of his co-stars. He tweeted: “There have been some false, unfounded and distasteful comments on social media about a dear friend of mine. We are lucky enough to live in a peaceful and tolerant country like the UAE. Why can’t we learn from its tolerance and rise above hateful harassment and online bullying?” Others compared it to reality show“Real Housewives of Dubai,” which paled in comparison to “Dubai Bling”. Of course, one way to look at is is that Dubai Bling actually has real housewives, and reflects more of Dubai’s Arab identity. Others, of course, can’t get enough of it. Love it or hate it, one thing’s for sure: you can’t ignore it.