Last Monday I posted about being irritated by the ridiculous complaints that shops shouldn't be selling clothing if it can't be worn.
As I said in that post, there are two facts which the complaints ignore.
One, the clothes are going to be worn overseas by tourists visiting here briefly and by expats when they go home.
Two the clothes can be worn here.
On the second point you only have to look at the photos in the gossip pages of the local tabloids and the magazines.
You could also look at Katie's latest post over at Hello Dubai.
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13 comments:
if you keep flirting with incoherence in this way, her parents are going to demand that you marry her. one might counter that you already bore childen with said wife.
Thank you for that intelligent contribution EB.
Well up to your usual standards, which are demonstrated so eloquently on your own blogs.
Hi Seabee,
Completely agree with you. don't forget that one of the pillars of Dubai economy is 'retail trade' that caters to a global audience. Stopping sales of any sort of clothes will be akin to shooting oneself in the foot.
However, the 'menace' of immodest clothing needs to be tackled correctly. Take a walk down the corridors of MOe and you will know what i am talking about. Freedom cannot be translated into 'do what i want'. One needs to be concious of the local standards and culture. And it is not necessarily the tourists who are the culprits
I agree that some people go to the malls in clothes better suited to the beach but this obsession with what women are wearing is just an excuse to bully women while ignoring all the other "unislamic" behaviour that goes on here. Girls in short skirts are an easy target and give the bullies a great sense of power and self rightiousness.
If they want to be taken seriously they need to start tackling issues like prostitution, drugs, corruption, slavery, arrogance and the appalling lack of regard for fellow human beings.
...and it's not 'ridiculous' to suggest offensive clothes should be not be on sale in the first place. OK - you can buy cigarettes from a mall and smoke outside, but tobacco is a choice; clothes are not. It's misleading to sell inappropriate clothing. As I said on the UAE Comm blog, if sales assistants advise (tourist) customers it's ok to wear a bra only under see-through tops, what better would they know? The shops are responsible for the clothes they sell, and they are licensed to do so.
Anyway bloggers' opinions don't really matter in the grand scheme of things :P
i* I have to disagree with you on two points: that tobacco is a choice; clothes are not and It's misleading to sell inappropriate clothing.
The clothes we buy are a choice, we choose exactly which clothes we buy.
And there's no such thing as inappropriate clothing. What is appropriate or inappropriate is where we choose to wear it.
Anyway bloggers' opinions don't really matter in the grand scheme of things
Very true - we need to work harder so that our opinions are heard in the corridors of power ;-)
(...although a lot of Anons would self-destruct if any of my opinions influenced policy!)
Rose, agreed, there's too much emphasis on what women are wearing, which is why I prefer 'inappropriate' to 'immodest'. Men in singlets and football shorts in the city centre, mall and restaurants is as inappropriate in my opinion as a woman in hotpants.
I agree there are plenty of other things that need attention and there's certainly hypocrisy in the air. As I've said somewhere else though, hypocrisy is standard procedure for governments around the world. (Before I get jumped on, that's simply an observation and I don't condone it here or anywhere else. Hypocrisy is high up on my hate list.)
Hypocrisy is high up on my hate list.
Please demonstrate this by confirming to us that you would welcome similar bans/restrictions etc. on inappropriate clothing in Australian or British public places to those applicable in Dubai.
Anon@12.28. As you seem to doubt my words, confirming them seems pointless.
However, yes I believe in dress codes, anywhere in the world. Wearing appropriate clothing for where you are applies equally anywhere in the world.
For example, beach wear should not be worn in restaurants or shopping malls in Dubai, Sydney, London, Singapore, New York or anywhere else. Nor, incidentally, should dirty work clothes.
http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/budgiesmugglers-banned-at-theme-park-20090818-eo89.html
From the Age, Melbourne
Budgie-smugglers banned at theme park
Hairy hunks who love skimpy swimming trunks beware! A British theme park wants you to cover up and think about getting a wax job.
Alton Towers, which boasts rollercoaster rides, hotels and a waterpark, has banned male visitors from wearing tiny swimming trunks and is considering a waxing service for hirsute men.
The park said it banned the tight and tiny trunks on the grounds that they are "not deemed public or family friendly."
BM, I agree with that.
I believe that every venue has the right to have a dress code. I was walking around Canberra one day, went past the Casino which had just opened and decided to have a look inside but I was refused entry because I was wearing Reeboks. Not a problem, that was their dress code and I accepted it.
Hygiene comes into it as well. I hate it when I see people wearing singlets or tanktops in supermarkets. I keep thinking of sweat and armpit hair on the food. It would not be allowed if they were preparing food, so why is it ok for a shopper? I like to wear a tanktop myself, but I will change into a t-shirt before going to a shop.
Very true. You see that too often in supermarkets in Oz, especially in Queensland. Bare feet, singlet, football shorts...
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