Thursday, June 25, 2009

Morocco's Gender/Dress Divide



My tour guide Hussein wearing traditional Berber Dress, other days he wears jeans and t-shirts.

When I first arrived my eyes kept landing on the veiled women. And I kept wondering what makes a woman decide to veil herself. Does she gain safety? Respect? Does the covering of her skin add to her allure? Do veiled women feel restricted?

Moroccan culture is actually very varied: There are Arabs, Jews (though most have left for Israel), Berbers (with many distinct tribes) and tourists and business people from all over. There is complete tolerance of self-expression through dress. Some days a man might wrap scarves around his head and wear a full caftan while other days he might wear jeans and a t-shirt.

No comments:

Post a Comment