Saudi Women Boycott Lingerie Shops Staffed by Men
It can be more awkward than a pair of Spanx slipping down at a party, yet in Saudi Arabia, male clerks routinely fit women for bras and underwear as the only sales clerks at shops selling intimate apparel. But that could change if a group of Saudi women have their way.
They have launched a bold campaign urging their sisters to only patronize the country’s few women-only lingerie stores. This, until Saudi Arabia puts a law on the books that states only women should work at these stores. I feel for these women, having recently experienced a hands-on male clerk at a store selling apparel from India. There was no fitting room and I was desperate to get an outfit for the Oscars, so I submitted. But it was bizarre to have a strange man zipping up my blouse while other males looked on.
It’s even more bizarre in Saudi Arabia where religious police keep order. As emphasized in a report from BBC, the widespread acceptance of men sizing up lingerie for female customers runs counter to the ultra-conservative customs in a society which doesn’t allow men and women to be alone in a room together if they aren’t married or related.
Reem Asaad (above), an economics professor at Dar al-Hikma Women’s College in Jeddah, is leading the boycott because she argues male strangers employed as clerks aren’t just measuring cup sizes but checking girls out.
“The way that underwear is being sold in Saudi Arabia is simply not acceptable to any population living anywhere in the modern world,” says Asaad. “This is a sensitive part of women’s bodies. You need to have some discussions regarding size, colour and attractive choices and you definitely don’t want to get into such a discussion with a stranger, let alone a male stranger. I mean this is something I wouldn’t even talk to my friends about.”
Apparently, male lingerie clerks aren’t resisting the campaign. The Associated Press reports that a petition to hire women to man these shops would relieve salesmen of the embarrassment they also face when selling bedroom-only attire. Skimpy lacy underthings are popular in the country where strict interpretation of Islamic law requires women to cover themselves in black robes in public. The AP reports that women cannot use fitting rooms to try on garments because the notion of women disrobing in a public place is not acceptable. As a result, women have to eyeball the garments and try them on once they get home.
The boycott, launched last week, urges the kingdom to enforce a 2006 law saying only female staff can be employed in women’s apparel stores. It was never enacted due to protests from hard-liners opposed to women being employed in malls where the sexes interact. The only negative effect is that by hiring women only it will mean fewer jobs for men. Already, 10 percent are currently out of work.
Photos: AP
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3 Comments
March 30th, 2009 at 9:57 am
This is certainly strange, since in Islamic law it is absolutely forbidden for unmarried men and women to have any physical contact, and often even eye contact! Maybe Saudi Arabia is a bit more liberal now, but in the past they were extremely strict about this.
Yes, very strange indeed. Certainly women-only lingerie shops are preferable, whether you’re Muslim or not!!
March 31st, 2009 at 12:53 am
That’s awful. And it could even be traumatic for women in such a society to have to be fitted and ogled by men when they’re buying underwear. That’s ridiculous. I hope these women get what they deserve!!
March 31st, 2009 at 9:14 am
I agree, it’s a problem. But the men don’t really touch these women but they do have to ogle to size them up. And since there are no fitting rooms, the women have to eyeball the garments and try them on at home. I think this is just another example of the hypocrisy existing in a society in which women are covered head-to-toe in black cloth while the men of wealth entertain themselves with western-style blonds in their private discos. You either follow the good book or you don’t. You can’t really make up rules as you go along to suit your sexuality or desire for power.
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