Friday, November 27, 2009

Me and My Shadow

Around camp, I can dress pretty much as I would at home: shorts, Tshirt. I wear mid-calf-length skirts and loose, long-sleeved blouses to work. Nothing much different than I would wear to work in the U.S.

But when you leave camp, it's an entirely different situation. If you aren't wearing an abbayah, you might be the only woman not doing so. In fact, you attract far more attention if you are not wearing one than if you are.

The wife of one of my bosses lent me one the day I started work. She is shorter and smaller than me so the thing barely fit and was far too short. I made do with it for a couple of weeks until another boss and his wife took me into Khobar one evening, ostensibly for me to simply accompany them on their errands. I mentioned that I really needed an abbayah that fit me, and Lynn proceeded to drag me around this crazy, crowded souk, urging me to try on dozens of the things until we could find one that fit and that was simple enough to satisfy me. She is an aggressive bargainer and got the price down to SR 65, a very good deal by all accounts.

I was now the proud owner of my very own shadow.


I can definitely understand the benefit of these garments, although I am being generous to suggest that there is much design that goes into the basic ones. They are barely more than polyester cloaks. And always, always black. Mine snaps up the front--easy to put on and take off. Still, there is some simple black embroidery on the cuffs and down the front closure so it is a tiny cut above the plain black ones.

High class Saudi women have abbayahs and matching head scarves with amazing insets of colorful cloth, handsewn beads, sequins, and other decorations at the cuffs and perhaps along the front and bottom hem. Expensive abbayahs made of silk with these types of decorations can cost upwards of SR 1000. I've seen abbayahs made of very shiny material and abbayahs that are dripping with seed pearls and enough embroidery to almost be quilted.

These abbayahs oddly challenge the original intent of the garment: to not be seen. Women clothed head to toe in black with only their eyes showing become negative components of a scene. They are there but not there. Your eyes drift over them but are not to linger on them.

An abbayah that drips with decorations is an abbayah designed to attract attention. You can't help but look.

Some of the younger women also puff their hair up with rollers, combs, and other devices so that their head profiles are positively gigantic when covered with the black scarf. Again, this is a deliberate mistranslation of the purpose of the garment. They want to be noticed.

If I were go to into Khobar without an abbayah, I would have to wear pants or a work skirt and a long sleeved, loose shirt. And it's hot and humid here! Who wants to wear pants when it is 100 F? Instead, I shove my abbayah in my purse, jump in a cab or friend's car in whatever comfortable shorts and Tshirt I have on, and pull the abbayah on when we arrive. A handful of quick snaps up the front and I can walk around with more ease than I would if I were dressed in western clothes. This is the irony of the abbayah: the black cloak that turns women into negative spaces in public also gives them a sense of freedom.

Don't get me wrong. This freedom is entirely an illusion created by the reality of the non-person status that women in Saudi culture are assigned. Saudi women will only experience real freedom when they can walk around in public wearing whatever they want. However, even fake freedoms have some value here.

8 comments:

Agile Jack said...

I looks especially snazzy at the beach!!!

Congratulations. You are nearly invisible!

Rover Mom said...

wow, i almost didn't see you there!

Rover Mom said...

oh, hey check out the updates from my earthdog club - our trial was 3 weeks ago and we actually had an upswing in day-of entries on Sunday once word got out. Result, we actually made money again! I was literally dripping with volunteers, and I was able to commandeer the ATV and 2 walkie talkies for the entire weekend!

Rover Mom said...

Oops, forgot the link!
http://rivannariverearthdog.blogspot.com/

dwhitis said...

A friend of mine likes to facetiously say "fake is good enough". Sadly, it is for too many folks in the world, westerners included.

lilspotteddog said...

Duwain, not sure I know what you mean? I can't alter the reality so am choosing to go with the flow. If that means I am also going along with the fake illusion of freedom, then so be it. What I meant to get at in my post was that I understand the illusion, not that I approve of it.

Re the beach shot: that photo was taken at the Aramco beach at Ras Tanura. I don't need to wear the abbayah there but happened to bring it along (never leave camp without it). Martin and I spent the morning there. I decided to take advantage of having him around to take the photo along with the backdrop of blue water and white grit beach. But there were quite a few Saudi women at that same beach wearing their abbayahs and head scarves.

seniormoments said...

Actually looks like a lot of graduation gowns I've seen...and worn. Don't blame you for taking advantage of wearing the abbayah over comfortable shorts and a short sleeve shirt. Think that would be my choice, too. I broke out in a sweat just thinking of you having to wear a long-sleeved shirt and long skirt or pants. Whew! Keep up the illusion...it does make you look "invisible."

VAMom

BC Insanity said...

ha ha ha
Oh and I particularly like the sneakers to go with the 'look'.