Job Discussion Forums

[amity]

Let's see of we can discuss this without the thread needing to be locked.

As a foreigner in Saudi Arabia, what difference should the reasoning behind the dress code make to me? Let's put the shoe on the other foot for a moment, and imagine that you for some reason were responsible for a woman from a remote African village where the women went about with almost no clothing on. Now this woman plans to come to the U.S. while expecting to continue to dress in her accustomed way out in public? I could hardly come up with philosophical grounds for her not being allowed do so, except that it simply is not done. It creates the wrong impression entirely. It will very probably bring police attention. It will definitely bring undesireable attention from U.S. "shebab" who don't get it. You simply do not want and indeed cannot go about dressed like that in the U.S. Forget it.

Sound like Saudi Arabia?

Now what is wrong with that? Everyplace has some sort of a dress code. Whether it is "reasonable' or not, it does not pay to flaunt it. Ditto every other custom that we disagree with/ do not understand. We need to get in the game plan or just not go at all.

[007]

What's the dress code?
"A basic social principle that survived fishnets and hotpants has been lost in today's sartorial anarchy "
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1485483,00.html

Amity, don't you think that clothes or dress is a reflection of a 'personality' and a sign of your 'character'?

[Stephen Jones]

Try invisible ink. Saves a lot in dry-cleaning bills.

Or the local version. Wear an abaya on top, and what you want underneath.

[amity]

[The_Prodiigy]

Any rises in popularity of the abaya outside KSA are reflections of individuals' choice of how they dress. It is worthy to compare being obliged to walk around in the buff and being obliged to wear in a black shroud. Both are similarily peculiar dress codes to force on people. And its continued existence, and alliance with any 'culture' does not make it any less nutty and objectionable.

Implication that a female that does not want to wear the head-to-toe garb is in someway complicit in other people's unacceptable behaviour is bizarre!

[007]

[Stephen Jones]

[amity]

[Cleopatra]

If I'm not mistaken, Amity, you are relatively new on this board. So you may not be aware that the prodigy has a bizarre hatred for the country than once paid his wages, and, like most of the men on this board, has probably never had a serious conversation (or, indeed any kind of conversation at all)with a Saudi woman in his life. As such, he is far from an authority on what Saudi women think about anything, let alone dress. Bear that in mind when trying to have a dialogue with him.

I think it's important to remember that the dress code only applies in public. When with their families or with female only groups (ie, most of the time) Saudi women have the same choice in dress as do women everywhere. This is crucial in a society like that of KSA, where the distinction between public and private is very marked, and where the public sphere is considered of little value. So what seems like an onorous requirement to foreigners does not neccessarily seem that way to the women themselves, not that many posters here would think of asking what the women concerned actually think about anything.

I should also point out that very few of the Saudi women I know - and that includes the very liberal elite who never 'cover' at all outside the Middle East - have any problem with the abaya. They consider it part of their culture in the same way that the men consider the thobe to be. For the most part they are proud of it and, while they do wish to see other aspects of their society changed, this is something they wish to retain.

[amity]

self-censored

[Stephen Jones]

[Van Norden]

[007]

[ALPH]

[Cleopatra]