Ok, well not all the rules, but I was in the mood for pushing a few boundaries. Here in the United Arab Emirates there are no laws (that I know of) that say that non-Muslim women must cover up in public. However, it seems that most non-Muslim expat women do try to respect the Muslim culture by wearing more conservative outfits than they would normally wear in their home countries. I generally try to wear loose-ish clothing that covers shoulders, cleavage and knees and if in doubt a pashmina hides any sins. But today I threw all caution to the wind and went out wearing a scandalous white cotton summer dress! This morning when I opened my cupboard my eyes travelled to the end where I hang all my 'unsuitable for Abu Dhabi' outfits. Short skirts, low cut tops, backless dresses; you get the picture. I reached for one of my favourite dresses. It is a sweet white cotton dress with a flattering square cut neckline, cute capped sleeves, an A-line skirt with the hem cut just above the knee. When I wear this dress at home I pair it with coloured ballet flats and my pearl stud earrings and I feel decidedly prim and quite conservative but today I could tell from the looks I was getting on my walk from our apartment to Abu Dhabi Mall that my choice of clothing was definitely breaking some unwritten rules. I tried not to feel self-conscious but by the time I made it to the mall I was wishing I had brought along my emergency pashmina.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Today, I broke all the rules!
Ok, well not all the rules, but I was in the mood for pushing a few boundaries. Here in the United Arab Emirates there are no laws (that I know of) that say that non-Muslim women must cover up in public. However, it seems that most non-Muslim expat women do try to respect the Muslim culture by wearing more conservative outfits than they would normally wear in their home countries. I generally try to wear loose-ish clothing that covers shoulders, cleavage and knees and if in doubt a pashmina hides any sins. But today I threw all caution to the wind and went out wearing a scandalous white cotton summer dress! This morning when I opened my cupboard my eyes travelled to the end where I hang all my 'unsuitable for Abu Dhabi' outfits. Short skirts, low cut tops, backless dresses; you get the picture. I reached for one of my favourite dresses. It is a sweet white cotton dress with a flattering square cut neckline, cute capped sleeves, an A-line skirt with the hem cut just above the knee. When I wear this dress at home I pair it with coloured ballet flats and my pearl stud earrings and I feel decidedly prim and quite conservative but today I could tell from the looks I was getting on my walk from our apartment to Abu Dhabi Mall that my choice of clothing was definitely breaking some unwritten rules. I tried not to feel self-conscious but by the time I made it to the mall I was wishing I had brought along my emergency pashmina.
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Some men the are less unforgiving. You would hear hear mutter something that clearly means you are wearing something forbidden. You better be careful next time with what you wear outside.
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