Why Saudi women are wearing their clothes inside out
Thousands have joined online protest against abaya robes
Women across Saudi Arabia are striking back against the strict rules that govern their lives by subverting the kingdom’s dress codes.
For decades, women have been required to wear the abaya, a loose, body-covering robe, when in public - a dress code strictly enforced by police.
That appeared to have changed in March, when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared that his female citizens only needed to dress modestly and not necessarily to wear abayas. The prince told CBS TV: “The laws are very clear and stipulated in the laws of Sharia, that women wear decent, respectful clothing, like men... The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“In practice, however, wearing the abaya is all but compulsory - and Saudi women have had enough,” reports Quartz.
Thousands have posted images online showing them wearing the traditional robes inside out, under the hashtag “inside-out abaya”, in a growing campaign aimed at winning women more freedom.
Describing abayas as “another form of dehumanisation for women”, US-based Saudi activist Amani Al-Ahmadi called the protest a “brilliant move” that could create real change.
“To see another woman in flipped abayas - it builds solidarity between women and shows that they are not alone,” she told Reuters.
Saudi Arabia has long been a restrictive country for women.
Although women gained the right to drive last year, several female activists have since been arrested “under an apparent crackdown on dissent”, the BBC reports.
Saudi women still need the permission of a male guardian - usually a husband, father, brother or son - to apply for a passport, travel abroad, open a bank account, and get married, among other things.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why is Tesla stumbling?
In the Spotlight More competition, confusion about the future and a giant pay package for Elon Musk
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How Taylor Swift changed copyright negotiations in music
under the radar The success of Taylor's Version rerecordings has put new pressure on record labels
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Job scams are increasingly common. Here's what to look out for.
The Explainer You should never pay for an application or give out your personal info before being hired
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published