Why I'm writing this post
The first time I ever spent a significant amount of time as an adult in a foreign country was when I was studying at the University of Colorado and did a semester abroad in Cairo. I remember knowing that I would need to dress modestly but really had no idea what that involved! I tried doing some research but didn't know where to start. Before I left, I was not familiar in the least with Islam or Egyptian culture and honestly felt pretty uncomfortable and unsure about the idea of dressing conservatively.
The questions running through my head included such things as "how loose does my clothing need to be," "do I need to cover my hair," "what will happen to me if people think that I'm not dressed conservatively enough," and so on... Like I said, total travel and Middle East noooobie!
What I ended up doing was buying approximately three sweaters and three wide leg pairs of pants and leaving it up to myself to buy more wardrobe items upon arrival. Let's just say that these clothes were pretty much the *opposite* of cute, and looked like what my friends and I fondly refer to as the "bag lady look." Not attractive. :P
Anyways... The point of all of this is that I know how many ladies are feeling when embarking on their first trips to a culture quite different from their own! In the time since my first trip to Egypt, I have traveled extensively in Egypt and Morocco and also done a lot of research into modest fashion. I'd like to share what I've learned! I hope that I can provide some guidance and cultural understanding about what to wear when traveling to countries where more modest dress is advisable.
This will be a series of blog posts! (If I ever get around to writing them....) This post includes FAQ's (feel free to comment with more questions and I'll respond). Other upcoming posts will likely include:
~ Hijab fashion: a wonderful resource for not just hijabis!
~ Scarves are magical!
~ A few of my favorite modest fashion wardrobe essentials
~ Specific outfit examples
---
Frequently asked questions
1. Do I have to cover up my hair??
If you do not wear hijab (the headscarf that Muslim women wear), it is silly to pretend to be someone who you are not when it is not necessary (just my opinion). In most larger cities or touristy areas, I have never felt it necessary to cover my hair under most circumstances. However, it is polite to do so when visiting mosques, or when traveling to more remote areas. Don't be fooled into thinking that covering your hair will lessen sexual harassment though - from personal experience, I can tell you that women in all levels of modest dress experience harassment (not just referring to the Middle East here either... this applies all over the world).
2. What about the heat?!?!
If traveling to a place like Egypt in the summertime, the heat can become very difficult to deal with at times. However, it is COMPLETELY possible to still dress modestly in the heat! In fact, I usually find it much more comfortable in the heat to wear loose fitting clothes that cover more skin (and plus, it protects you from the sun).
3. How loose does my clothing need to be?
Again, this depends on where you are. Big cities or areas with a lot of tourism are places where you can get away with dressing less modestly. In the well traveled areas of Cairo, I often wore skinny jeans and a t-shirt and felt for the most part comfortable. Nowadays I would probably at least wear a looser shirt than that, but that is really due to changes in how I personally want to dress, rather than what you can "get away with" in the streets of Cairo.
Anyways, in general, I would really recommend wearing decently loose shirts that don't show off your curves too much or at all. The more "flowy" the better... but remember you can always belt at the waist to give yourself some shape if you feel self conscious about that!
Pants can be tighter, however I would recommend wearing a tunic or some sort of long cardigan to cover up your butt if possible.
4. What about women with big breasts? It's harder to dress modestly on the top half for us!
Yes, I completely know where people are coming from with this question. Some tricks that I can recommend are:
5. What if I don't dress modestly enough?? Are people going to attack me or yell at me or something horrible??
In my experience, no.... People are usually polite enough to say nothing, although you may experience more sexual harassment/cat calls. However, it is pretty rude to dress inappropriately, and it makes others feel uncomfortable so try your best to be polite! Imagine if you were in a public place and someone was walking around in a thong, high heels, and a bikini top... You'd probably be like "wtf, put that away!!" So please, just try to be respectful. Chances are, if you are covering from below your knees to your collar bones and shoulders, you're probably fine in a touristy area. In more conservative areas, you probably want to cover up more than that.
Overall, the best piece of advice I can give is to stay aware of your surroundings! Bring layering options (again I recommend a lightweight but large scarf) with you so that you can increase the modesty of your outfit if necessary. Pay attention to what other travelers and locals around you are wearing, learn from the mistakes and successes of others. Trust your gut feeling.
If I think of more FAQs, or if anybody comments with helpful ones, I will add them to this list, or to another post in this series. Please comment if you have any questions.
Disclaimer: If anything in this post is offensive or incorrect, I sincerely apologize. I try to be as accurate as possible from my own experience, but obviously that is only the experience of one young woman who, like all people, is still learning. :)
The first time I ever spent a significant amount of time as an adult in a foreign country was when I was studying at the University of Colorado and did a semester abroad in Cairo. I remember knowing that I would need to dress modestly but really had no idea what that involved! I tried doing some research but didn't know where to start. Before I left, I was not familiar in the least with Islam or Egyptian culture and honestly felt pretty uncomfortable and unsure about the idea of dressing conservatively.
The questions running through my head included such things as "how loose does my clothing need to be," "do I need to cover my hair," "what will happen to me if people think that I'm not dressed conservatively enough," and so on... Like I said, total travel and Middle East noooobie!
What I ended up doing was buying approximately three sweaters and three wide leg pairs of pants and leaving it up to myself to buy more wardrobe items upon arrival. Let's just say that these clothes were pretty much the *opposite* of cute, and looked like what my friends and I fondly refer to as the "bag lady look." Not attractive. :P
Anyways... The point of all of this is that I know how many ladies are feeling when embarking on their first trips to a culture quite different from their own! In the time since my first trip to Egypt, I have traveled extensively in Egypt and Morocco and also done a lot of research into modest fashion. I'd like to share what I've learned! I hope that I can provide some guidance and cultural understanding about what to wear when traveling to countries where more modest dress is advisable.
This will be a series of blog posts! (If I ever get around to writing them....) This post includes FAQ's (feel free to comment with more questions and I'll respond). Other upcoming posts will likely include:
~ Hijab fashion: a wonderful resource for not just hijabis!
~ Scarves are magical!
~ A few of my favorite modest fashion wardrobe essentials
~ Specific outfit examples
---
Frequently asked questions
1. Do I have to cover up my hair??
If you do not wear hijab (the headscarf that Muslim women wear), it is silly to pretend to be someone who you are not when it is not necessary (just my opinion). In most larger cities or touristy areas, I have never felt it necessary to cover my hair under most circumstances. However, it is polite to do so when visiting mosques, or when traveling to more remote areas. Don't be fooled into thinking that covering your hair will lessen sexual harassment though - from personal experience, I can tell you that women in all levels of modest dress experience harassment (not just referring to the Middle East here either... this applies all over the world).
2. What about the heat?!?!
If traveling to a place like Egypt in the summertime, the heat can become very difficult to deal with at times. However, it is COMPLETELY possible to still dress modestly in the heat! In fact, I usually find it much more comfortable in the heat to wear loose fitting clothes that cover more skin (and plus, it protects you from the sun).
3. How loose does my clothing need to be?
Again, this depends on where you are. Big cities or areas with a lot of tourism are places where you can get away with dressing less modestly. In the well traveled areas of Cairo, I often wore skinny jeans and a t-shirt and felt for the most part comfortable. Nowadays I would probably at least wear a looser shirt than that, but that is really due to changes in how I personally want to dress, rather than what you can "get away with" in the streets of Cairo.
Anyways, in general, I would really recommend wearing decently loose shirts that don't show off your curves too much or at all. The more "flowy" the better... but remember you can always belt at the waist to give yourself some shape if you feel self conscious about that!
Pants can be tighter, however I would recommend wearing a tunic or some sort of long cardigan to cover up your butt if possible.
4. What about women with big breasts? It's harder to dress modestly on the top half for us!
Yes, I completely know where people are coming from with this question. Some tricks that I can recommend are:
- Buy a light-weight neck scarf and wear it in a fluffy way around your neck to cover up any cleavage that is determined to escape!
- Find loose-fitting high necked tunic-type shirts that are quite wide, then belt loosely at the waist to create shape.
- Wear a flowy jacket or cardigan over your shirt for added modesty
- Wear a full-coverage bra that helps keep the ladies under control! ;)
- Avoid things like boat-neck tops, v-necks, scoop-necks. Aim for shirts that reach up to your collar bones (this applies to ladies of all shapes and sizes actually).
5. What if I don't dress modestly enough?? Are people going to attack me or yell at me or something horrible??
In my experience, no.... People are usually polite enough to say nothing, although you may experience more sexual harassment/cat calls. However, it is pretty rude to dress inappropriately, and it makes others feel uncomfortable so try your best to be polite! Imagine if you were in a public place and someone was walking around in a thong, high heels, and a bikini top... You'd probably be like "wtf, put that away!!" So please, just try to be respectful. Chances are, if you are covering from below your knees to your collar bones and shoulders, you're probably fine in a touristy area. In more conservative areas, you probably want to cover up more than that.
Overall, the best piece of advice I can give is to stay aware of your surroundings! Bring layering options (again I recommend a lightweight but large scarf) with you so that you can increase the modesty of your outfit if necessary. Pay attention to what other travelers and locals around you are wearing, learn from the mistakes and successes of others. Trust your gut feeling.
If I think of more FAQs, or if anybody comments with helpful ones, I will add them to this list, or to another post in this series. Please comment if you have any questions.
Disclaimer: If anything in this post is offensive or incorrect, I sincerely apologize. I try to be as accurate as possible from my own experience, but obviously that is only the experience of one young woman who, like all people, is still learning. :)
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