Showing posts with label Saudi Arabia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saudi Arabia. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Underwear Boycott

I'm just going to say this: the Middle East confuses the hell out of me. Most Middle Eastern countries have incredibly strict regulations on women and their interaction with men. they can't go into public without their husband or male family member, they have to wear veils , and they aren't even allowed to have mannequins with heads on them due to a ban against depictions of realistic women.  I'm sure there is a whole list of other things all to make "protect" women from prying eyes and keep them from looking sexual. 
In this article, it talks about how women are boycotting lingerie stores because most only allow males to work there and they want women-run stores. The women are sick of being embarrassed when they buy underwear and have to ask a man to fit them. Oh, and by the way, they are not allowed to have fitting rooms because they do not want women changing clothes in a public space and in the presence of a man, so they don't even know if the things they buy actually fit them.  It may sound like a silly thing to make a big deal about, but these women deserve the right to buy underwear without feeling ashamed or embarrassed. 
But what boggles my mind is that if they are so incessant on keeping men from looking at women, then why exactly are they letting men work in a store where they sell intimate clothing for women! It really doesn't make sense to me. This is basically just contradicting all of the laws that they have made up to prevent this. 
Women's rights in the Middle East are so far behind what we are accustomed to in the West and although this is just a minor thing, it is reassuring that the women are fighting against it.