Single man? Please come to the front row…

I do not go very frequently to the cinema in Kuwait, mainly due to three reasons: Firstly, because the portfolio of movies is quite limited and usually very American. Secondly, because movies are censored and films are cut with no mercy (whenever there is something which might not be of the taste of the Committee of Censorship, with something as light as a kiss –in the lips-). Lastly, but not less important, because the AC is set to something around 5C, which makes you fight for survival, rather than focusing on the movie and enjoying it while you are eating your pop corn.

Still, yesterday I put myself a long-sleeve shirt, a jacket, a winter pashmina, thick trousers and socks and decided to go with some friends to watch “Inception”, from Leonardo di Caprio.

I told them I would buy the tickets online, and so I did. Was not the first time I was buying tickets online, but there was something in the process I had never given importance to before: for men, there is seat segregation according to their marital status.

In the on-line purchase process, after selecting the cinema, the movie, the time and the number of seats, there is one more question before selecting the seat position: Are you a “bachelor” (man that has never been married) or “family”?

I was a bit distressed by this question. Well, we were 4 friends, 3 girls and 1 guy, all single. So my mind started to think: should I sit the guy apart? And we, girls, all single? We are neither bachelors nor family, so should we sit on the limbo, since there is no such “female” area? And even less of a “single female” area?

I understand why this separation is done. It is mainly targeting Kuwaitis. I know (I’ve suffered myself) how persistent and harassing some young Kuwaiti males can be, and how disturbing this is for ladies. They have earned their reputation, and personally I am glad this separation is done. But then, at least, why the “Families” section is not called “Families and Ladies”? I know there are also many modern Kuwaitis and other Arabs going to the movies with mixed groups of friends. How are they suppose to sit?

I finally bought the tickets for the family area, which is what people normally do, but still, although I personally think this segregation is positive (selfishly speaking) a bit more clarity on the seating areas and classifications could be useful for us expats.