Dress Code for Women in Arabic Countries
Arabs are known to be forgiving when it comes to social blunders of foreigners. That is if the mistakes are made genuinely from ignorance and not in a malicious manner. And while this gives one traveling a bit of leeway, it is always advised to understand the culture in which one is visiting. One of the aspects of the Arab culture, that has any American woman what is appropriate when visiting, is dress. What one may wear at a Dubai beach resort, may not be necessarily appropriate for the streets of the city. Although inappropriate dress in Dubai is not considered a crime, there are certain sensibilities that the avoidance of offense will provide with a much more pleasurable visit.
There are different kinds of dress for those women that are local and those that are not. Most Arab women dress according to customs of their religion. This means that when they are outside of the home, most of their body must be covered. Head to toe. High necklines and long sleeves are definitely required, as is the covering of the hair. Some, with especially religious spouses, must cover their hands as well. In some regions, a conservative religious police officer may stop a woman and require her to cover her hair should she be noticed not doing so. For the foreign woman traveling, western styles are appropriate, however only the most conservative of dress is appropriate.
The climate of most of the regions in the summer, is hot. This may prove problematic for someone traveling from a different country, for even as the temperature heats up, the shoulders, the legs, and the arms should remain covered. A woman’s character and virtue is called into question otherwise. Some may even go so far as to assume that a woman wearing a skirt is a prostitute. There are no restrictions what so ever, as to what is appropriate for girls and women to wear in their own homes, as long as no visitors are present, this includes relatives and close friends. The city of Dubai is a modern city however, and the rules and expectations while traveling are not so strict, but these are some things to consider when traveling outside Dubai.
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