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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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 Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 4:39 pm Post subject: No changing rooms for women in clothes/lingerie stores |
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Why there are no changing rooms for women in most of clothes/lingerie stores in the KSA?
Hey, respected ladies, do not miss-understand me?  |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm not sure why I'm responding to what is one of the silliest posts in some time (and the competition is pretty fierce), but I suppose that the reason for the lack of female changing rooms in clothes' shops might be the same as that for the lack of male changing rooms in clothes' shops. |
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trapezius
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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^ Wrong.
The vast majority of male clothing stores I have been to (branded and unbranded, in malls and independent, expensive and cheap) have had changing rooms.
The vast majority of female clothing stores I have been to (branded and unbranded, in malls and independent, expensive and cheap) have not had changing rooms. And the reason for that is the same as the reason for women not being allowed to drive, needing male guardian's permission for anything legal/financial/marital/travel, etc. In other words, paranoia, fear, "traditions", and "conservatism".
This is in Jeddah over the last 2 decades.
If other cities (particularly Riyadh) are different, I wouldn't know.
EDIT: But y'all know what women have to resort to, right? (on the instructions of the shopkeepers) They pay and buy the item(s) they like, go to the ladies' room in the mall, try it out, and if they don't like it or if it doesn't fit, they come back and return/exchange it. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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From what I know from conversations with male acquaintances, most men's clothing shops here in Riyadh do not have dressing rooms. I may be wrong here, however.
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| And the reason for that is the same as the reason for women not being allowed to drive, needing male guardian's permission for anything legal/financial/marital/travel, etc. In other words, paranoia and fear. |
That's part of it, but it also has to do with the logistics of complete gender segregation, and the silly absolute taboo on any woman - even a foreigner - working in a 'public' place. Obviously it would be unthinkable to have a man guarding a female dressing room. Fair enough, but then you can't have a woman doing the job either, because women should not be 'on display' even if that means standing at the back of a shop handing out plastic tokens saying you've taken two or three items into the changing room. Then there's the mere notion of what might go on were women to be stripping off - even in a guarded dressing room - with men somewhere in the vicinity. Anything could happen.
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| They pay and buy the item(s) they like, go to the ladies' room in the mall, try it out, and if they don't like it or if it doesn't fit, they come back and return/exchange it. |
That, or take it home and try it on there. If the item doesn't suit, well, you just 'send the driver' back with it, don't you? Or that at least is what all shop assistants presume you will do. Many of them seem genuinely surprised when you tell them that you don't actually have 'somebody' you can 'send' at your whim.
Even with abaya shopping, trying the garments on can be a drama - take this from one who knows. Once I had to remove my abaya so that the tailors could take my measurements for one I was having them make for me. I had to hide behind a rail of abayas, remove my own, stretch out my arm and hand it to the Syrian shop assistants who were all standing with their eyes 'modestly' turned as far away as possible. But it turned out to be a nice abaya, so I suppose everyone's momentary discomfiture was worth it. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
| I'm not sure why I'm responding to what is one of the silliest posts in some time (and the competition is pretty fierce), |
Cleo, have you been drinking that purple juice again?
I think my above question is not a silly post, it is a valid question, and I guess the majority of expat in KSA do not know the real reasons behind the lack of female changing rooms in clothes' stores.
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| but I suppose that the reason for the lack of female changing rooms in clothes' shops might be the same as that for the lack of male changing rooms in clothes' shops. |
So, if the reason is the same as that for male changing rooms!
Can you tell us what are the reasons behind the lack of male changing rooms in clothes' shops?
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| Even with abaya shopping, trying the garments on can be a drama - take this from one who knows. Once I had to remove my abaya so that the tailors could take my measurements for one I was having them make for me. I had to hide behind a rail of abayas, remove my own, stretch out my arm and hand it to the Syrian shop assistants who were all standing with their eyes 'modestly' turned as far away as possible. But it turned out to be a nice abaya, so I suppose everyone's momentary discomfiture was worth it |
I wonder if the Saudi women do the same, hide behind a rail of abayas, so that the tailor could take their measurement?
What happen if there are no rail of abayas, I wonder how the trailor could take measurement?
Don�t you think if there were changing rooms in the tailor shop, it could have save you and the tailors, time, face, and you would have changed your abaya comfortably without any hassles. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:28 pm Post subject: |
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Can you tell us what are the reasons behind the lack of male changing rooms in clothes' shops? |
No. But maybe you, as a man, could start by confirming/refuting my belief that, at least in Riyadh, there are usually no changing rooms in men's clothing shops? |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
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Can you tell us what are the reasons behind the lack of male changing rooms in clothes' shops? |
No. But maybe you, as a man, could start by confirming/refuting my belief that, at least in Riyadh, there are usually no changing rooms in men's clothing shops? |
Not accurate.
I have been in most of the men clothes's shops in Riyadh, and all of them have changing rooms. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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Not an appropriate response. Back to writing class for you!
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| I have been in most of the men clothes's shops in Riyadh |
The proverbial dedicated follower of fashion? Given that this is a city of a few million inhabitants, you must have time for little other than seeking out the latest fashion in thobes and ghuthras.
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| all of them have changing rooms. |
If that's the case.... why on earth did you ask me to:
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| tell us what are the reasons behind the lack of male changing rooms in clothes' shops? |
???? |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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Still, you did not answer my original question:
Why there are no changing rooms for women in most of clothes/lingerie stores in the KSA? |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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Why there are no changing rooms for women in most of clothes/lingerie stores in the KSA? |
I don't know if you come on this board with the express intent of proving your inability to read English. If so, you do a pretty good job. Aside from the fact that nobody here is obliged to answer your silly questions, please take a read of my second post on this thread. Use a dictionary if need be. Then get back to us. Or not. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
| please take a read of my second post on this thread. Use a dictionary if need be. Then get back to us. Or not. |
The second post does not require a dictionary, and does not answer the questions! |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:57 pm Post subject: |
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She answered your question perfectly clearly. And I'm not sure why she bothered except that she has lots of free time right now - just like me and apparently you as you keep posting the most ridiculous questions and then show that you can't bother to comprehend the answers once you get them.
VS |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Still, Cleo did not answer the question and it seems does not know the real reason behind banning the female changing rooms in clothes' shops. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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Just noticed the nonsense Abba tacked on to a previous post. Again, like VS I don't know why I bother, but hey it's a slow night here in the K of SA....
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I wonder if the Saudi women do the same, hide behind a rail of abayas, so that the tailor could take their measurement? |
I don't know. Why don't you ask one of the many Saudi women you claim to be acquainted with?
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| What happen if there are no rail of abayas, I wonder how the trailor could take measurement? |
Again, no idea. But you do seem awfully, awfully interested in the very idea of females disrobing. That whole lack of dressing rooms thing is beginning to make sense, even to me.....
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| Don�t you think if there were changing rooms in the tailor shop, it could have save you and the tailors, time, face, and you would have changed your abaya comfortably without any hassles. |
Some posters here accuse me of having a high opinion of myself, but even I don't consider myself responsible for 'decency' laws in the Kingdom. I know you're not a subtle type, and can't even read English, let alone accept the fact that describing a situation does not in any way imply that you are condoning it. Honestly, Abba, swallow your pride and take an intermediate reading comprehension course. Right now my students are focussing on discerning the biases in a writer's work. You may not quite be at their level yet, but as you know, patience and hard work are both virtues. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Still, you did not answer the question! |
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