via Egypt Today and Special Arabia
Despite the many differing (and valid) opinions about it, Egyptian celebrity culture is rather fascinating. It’s just so rich with many different elements and stereotypes that we can’t seem to get enough of. Back in the day, people tuned into countless interviews (including those led by Moufeed Fawzy!) and diligently read through magazines like El Kawakeb, just for one little peek into that world.
But do you know the one thing that none of us can get enough of? Learning an Egyptian celebrity’s real name after years of only knowing their stage names. The shock of that never wears off, no matter how many times we hear that Youssra’s real name is Seveen Nessim or that Youssef El-Sherif is actually Mohamed Ismail Naji!
Have you ever asked yourself why Egyptian celebs choose stage names, though? Well, we did, and we’ve only found four answers that make sense.
Their birth name just isn’t glamorous enough
When you think about the word ‘celebrity’, nothing comes to mind but glitz and glamour and fancy red carpets, we know. It’s just the way we’ve been collectively conditioned.
via Egyptian Streets and See News
Because of that popular perception, you can’t just have a celebrity who goes by Mohamed Gaber. No, he has to be Nour El Sherif. That happens all the time, though, even when the name doesn’t change drastically, which is what happened when Mahetab Ezz Eldin shortened her first name to Mai.
Someone else chose their stage name
via Zimbio
Yes, it can be as simple as that. Sometimes a performer is perfectly okay with their name, but someone else, a producer or a director, chooses a different, more cinematic name for them. This is what happened when the director Niazi Mostafa discovered Nionchka Kueplian and wanted to rename her Lebleba because of how talkative she was!
The celebrity just wanted to separate their personas
We don’t claim to know if any Egyptian celebrities have openly admitted to this, but we see it as only natural. After all, when you build a career around performing, it’s only normal to want to take the mask off and revert to your work-free self.
via See News
Sometimes, celebrities actually need to separate their personas for their safety, which is something a lot of young Egyptian female performers do. Take, for example, the late actress Magda, whose real name was Afaf Aly Kamel. She started acting at only fifteen years old and immediately changed her name so her conservative family didn’t know about her blossoming career.
They’re following their idol
via Egypt Today
This one isn’t too far-fetched, right? After all, before a celebrity was a celebrity, they were probably just a fan like the rest of us. Some of the fans who eventually went into performing wanted to honour their idols by adopting their names. Case in point, actor Essam El Sakka, who is just a really big fan of Ahmed El Sakka!
