It's obvious that one of the biggest misconceptions Americans have about places like Jordan is the dress code.
Occasionally you will see a woman who is fully covered in the traditional black dress and veil, however, this is not typical of Jordan. Mistakenly, Westerners call this a 'burka' (the correct term is niqab) and believe that all women in the Middle East are forced to wear them. In places such as some areas of Saudi Arabia the rule is certainly enforced, but this is definitely not the way of life for all Arabs.
Honestly, for me the only difference in appearance from the people here and the people back home is that the Jordanians are MUCH more stylish than us. Seriously, they are way ahead of us in terms of fashion. If I could go back in time while I was packing my suitcase, I'd tell myself to bring jeggings, high heels and all of my party dresses.
In Jordan I go to class in jeans, boots and a ball cap- which is my best effort at dressing up for school since back home I wouldn't even get out of my pajamas to go to class. My female classmates though, are a completely different story. They come to school with flawless makeup, skin-tight jeans, four inch heels or thigh-high boots, hot pink fingernails, aviators, and a black leather jacket. Their fashion is not deterred just because some of these women wear the hijab (head scarf/conservative dress), since they have scarves in every imaginable flashy color and pattern that only enhance their outfit as an accessory, like a stylish hat.
What we think Arab women look like:
What Arab women actually look like:
Even the guys here are more stylish than American boys. Gelled hair, designer's shades, vests, shirts saying "Ducati", and dark Levi's, my classmates look more like they've just stepped out of GQ than anything.
What we think Arab guys look like:
What Arab guys actually look like:
Occasionally you will see a woman who is fully covered in the traditional black dress and veil, however, this is not typical of Jordan. Mistakenly, Westerners call this a 'burka' (the correct term is niqab) and believe that all women in the Middle East are forced to wear them. In places such as some areas of Saudi Arabia the rule is certainly enforced, but this is definitely not the way of life for all Arabs.
Honestly, for me the only difference in appearance from the people here and the people back home is that the Jordanians are MUCH more stylish than us. Seriously, they are way ahead of us in terms of fashion. If I could go back in time while I was packing my suitcase, I'd tell myself to bring jeggings, high heels and all of my party dresses.
In Jordan I go to class in jeans, boots and a ball cap- which is my best effort at dressing up for school since back home I wouldn't even get out of my pajamas to go to class. My female classmates though, are a completely different story. They come to school with flawless makeup, skin-tight jeans, four inch heels or thigh-high boots, hot pink fingernails, aviators, and a black leather jacket. Their fashion is not deterred just because some of these women wear the hijab (head scarf/conservative dress), since they have scarves in every imaginable flashy color and pattern that only enhance their outfit as an accessory, like a stylish hat.
What we think Arab women look like:
What Arab women actually look like:
What we think Arab guys look like:
What Arab guys actually look like:
What I learned: I realized that the image I had in my head of Arabs before coming to Jordan was based off of what I had read in the newspaper and from other people's opinions. I came here because I wanted to meet people who were totally different from Americans. So far, I haven't met anyone who fits that description.
i am Palestinian everyone always thinks i am European cause my family and I are white......people tend to think Arabs are tan or brown but Arab is not a race it is a culture! and nice post ;)
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