Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Saudi women have begun decorating their full–body coverings, or abayas, with colorful patterns. Abayas are traditionally black, which means that in the oppressive Saudi heat they are stifling. “Nothing in Islam imposes black on us,” said Manal al–Sharif, an editor at al–Madina newspaper. “I decided to make a brown abaya for myself.” Other women are even more daring. In cosmopolitan cities such as Jeddah, colorful abayas are being decorated with crystal beads and jewelry. Even those women who wear black head coverings that show only their eyes are dressing up: They have taken to wearing colored contact lenses and heavy mascara.
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.
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filterThe Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
-
Not there yet: The frustrations of the pocket AIFeature Apple rushes to roll out its ‘Apple Intelligence’ features but fails to deliver on promises
