Middle Eastern Women’s Wardrobe

What is the first thing a person notices about a woman walking down the street? The women outfit that she is wearing and her charms and beauty that are exposed are the first things both men and women observe about each other. As a result, from such observation, many judgments and assumptions are instantly made. It is more common to see women in hijab, loose clothing topped by a type of scarf worn around the head and under the chin. Women don't share a common style nor have the same reasons for wearing hijab. Quick judgments are shaped by how people dress. For example, dress to impress is a common attitude believed by many people. So, if we compare the dressing styles of women in the Middle East and women in America, we will find tremendous differences. One of these differences is that women in America wear clothing is usually attractive and erotic in public, but women in the Middle East wear clothing that is very loose fitting which covers most of the body. Women’s beauty in Middle East countries are strongly prohibited in public and the differences it poses for its American counterpart, furthermore fashion can demean the status of women.

Women in the Middle East dress very differently than women in America. They wear loosely fitted clothing in order to cover their breasts, hair, and other aspects that signify the beauty of women. The reason why women in the Middle East wear loosely fitted clothes is because there is a common belief that sexual images or sexual activities in the society will bring about rape, extramarital sex, adultery, and many other social problems. Therefore, excessive expression of women sexuality charms the clothing that reveals female’s skin or any sexual activities displayed in public is a disliked conduct in the Middle East or in the Islamic world. Sexual behavior is only allowed to be between husbands and wives. Even so, it is ostracized for husbands and wives to excessively kiss and touch each other in public. Although the image of husbands and wives showing affection in public may seem romantic in America, this is very inappropriate in the Middle East. Furthermore, the Muslim society in the Middle East believes that the only way for women not to be seen as a sex symbol is if they do not expose their beauty or the shape of their body. Therefore, the clothing they wear must not be tied to the body so it does not describe the shape of the woman’s body. For this reason, most Muslim women avoid wearing sexy outfits outside their home. The Muslim women must conduct herself in a self-effacing way in order for men not to look at her with lustful eyes and desires. She can only show her beauty to her family and husband in her home.

On the other hand, in America, most women wear clothing that is usually attractive and erotic in public. They express their attitude and sexuality through the way they dress. Fashion has become a way to express their outlook in life and their character. Whereas in the Middle East, women stay away from fashionable clothing that will draw attention from their surroundings. Nevertheless, in the Islamic countries, a Muslim woman will be admonished if her style of dressing looks striking and sexually tempting. However, dressing provocative and having an exotic look is the most typical appearance most women make in the mainstream of America. In 1999, Mathews Fashion and Sex in America, “Frequently, I see women poured into tight jeans and short mini-skirts. Others wear revealing blouses, tight sweaters and sheer pants. Women are wearing sexy fashions just about everywhere, to work, to school and even to church.” However, not all women in America dress with the intention of trying to appear as a sex figure. Some dress according to the way they are accustomed to, not thinking about making an impression or trying to arouse men’s desires. But fashion has become something that is taken very seriously and something that sometimes lowers or esteems the status of women in the West.

For example, sex and the woman’s body get so many endorsements by countless companies in the United States. Women’s sexuality and images of their body are widely advertised in every place you go. Almost everything you buy has a sexual image on it. One of the biggest businesses in America is plastic surgery. The desire to look younger and sexier drives many women to spend thousands of dollars on plastic surgery. Jonathon A look into Contemporary Society: Women Now In 2001, “they idealize unrealistic body images such as enormous breasts, a tiny waist, and extremely long legs that many girls and women try to achieve through diets and cosmetic surgery”. Since the Islamic religion emphasizes modesty and expects women to expose their beauty to family only, plastic surgery has very little value to most Muslim women and is not performed in most Middle East countries. However, this attitude is not true for all Muslim women. Some Muslim women do get plastic surgery to try to seek the ideal body.

Even though both women dress dramatically different, they have similar attitudes about fashion. For instance, women in the Islamic countries shop and like to wear the latest styles. Second, although they display it differently, fashion is an important factor to both types of women. Middle Eastern women beautify themselves in the same ways American women do, which shows that they are not against looking beautiful and sexy, but oppose showing it to men who are strangers to them. Finally, going to the salon and getting their nails and hair done is very liked by women in the Middle East like it is in America.

Unfortunately, in America, many women are captivated by having a sexy body and looking beautiful, so dressing very fashionably is taken very seriously and some women even compete to look better then others. The society dictates women to have a sexy body, so this influences many young girls and adult women to wear alluring stylish clothes in order to look good. This phenomenon indicates that there is a lot of pressure on young girls to look good and appeal to others. Also, it signifies that women are sex objects and used as a powerful advertiser to promote business.

Lou, Girls in the Media of 1990 says, “Whether it is conscious or unconscious, if you present yourself in a way that is sexually revealing, even in the slightest of ways, many men will want your body for their own sexual pleasure without regard for you as a person. Dressing this way will cause people to think of you as sexually loose”.

As a result, women in the Muslim world and women in America express their perspective of beauty very differently through the ways they dress. The factor that shapes these different attitudes of dressing is the society and its values that both women live in. Since America is a secular and a very diverse country, people have many values and beliefs. So, one person’s values do not represent the values of the whole society. Each person dresses according to his or her own personal standards, whereas, in the Middle East, there is only one value that dominates all the rest and that are the Islamic teachings. And so, the Islamic government implements its set of laws very strictly to the society.

Because of the corruption of some Middle East governments and the wrong ways it treats women, many people think that Muslim women are not liberated and Islam is responsible. However, the Islamic teachings clearly preach peace and equality between men and women. But, rather, it is the culture of the society that twists rules to its own needs. Also, it is the authorities who dictate what they wish and are responsible for the mistreatment of women. Lewis Reasons Why we Dress in this Democratic Country in 2002, the authentic Islamic teachings says the reason why “Muslim women cover and wear loose clothing is because the Islamic religion strongly forbids all sexual behaviors before marriage and it also prohibits women from becoming sexual images but rather to be respected as women, to avoid harassments and to preserve her dignity”. Islam made the adherence to the Hijab a manifestation for chastity and modesty. The Islamic holy book, Koran (33:59) says, “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies when outdoors. It is most fitting that they should be respected and not molested.” Moreover, the above statement implies that the recognition of the apparent beauty of the woman is harmful to her when she is in public.

Overall, women in the Muslim world and women in America express their perspective of beauty in distinctive ways. In the Islamic world women wear loosely fitted clothes mainly due to religious reasons. In America, women can express their attitude and sexuality through the way they dress, because of the great degree of freedom and individual rights. This is why women in America wear attractive clothing and show more skin. However, both women are similar in attitudes. In other words, they both like to shop and buy the latest fashion. The factors that shape their attitudes of dressing are the society and its values that both women live in. If the Middle East were a secular and more democratic country like America, we would see very similar dressing codes in women.







REFRENCES
Jonathon, S. F. (2001). A look into contemporary society: Women Now. (Volume 5, PP. 893-896). New York: Time Square Press.
Lewis, J. N. (2002). Reasons why we dress in this Democratic country. Boston: Kited Company.
Lou, W. G. (1990). Girls in the media. New Hampshire: Excess Time. (p.21).
Mohamed, A. S. (2001). The Understanding of the Holy book of Islam: Koran. (33:59)Mathews, A. W. (1999). Fashion and Sex in America. New York: Labara.