The latest fashion update out of Paris is that French president Sarkozy wants to ban the burqa in order to free women from the constrains of being anonymous. Meanwhile, Yemen might be the only country in the world where men's fashion is more diverse and vibrant than women's, mainly because almost all women wear the exact same thing; A long black robe(abaya) a sheer, black cloth, cut like a poncho over their shoulders, and a Zoro like cloth, with a slit for the eyes, over their face( niqab). For visual aid see exhibits B and C above.
Though I don't doubt that there are many, many women who are devout, and would choose to dress this way regardless of the norm, I would venture to guess that just as many would choose to express themselves in a different attire if given the apportunity. For me, at times I wear the abaya(the long black robe). Other times I wear a long loose skirt with a long top and a hijab. Yesterday while standing in front of a small restaurant next to our office waiting for Michael , I got the usual stare down from several women passing by, the owner who was observing this said to me " you should wear an abaya, they are looking at you because you are not." This from a dude wearing a man skirt that was so short it barely grazed his thighs, and a shirt that was open down to his navel. I almost said " why don't you lay off the mini skirt."
What is disturbing about Sarkozy's proposal and the dress code laid out for the women of Yemen, is the assumption that women cannot be trusted with the simple task of choosing how to dress. They need to be liberated one way or another, by forces that know better than they what is good for them. Liberation through oppresion.
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