I live where I work: A sprawling campus oasis full of marble and palm trees complete with a full-fledged labor force (Indian and Pakistani) who tend to every little detail. There is A LOT I could say about the whole labor issue, but I am saving that story for a rainy day; a day which hopefully (inshallah: Allah willing) will come soon.
Here are some recent pictures taken from campus:
My introduction to the real lives of UAE Nationals and the people of this region is largely shaped by my daily interactions with my students: Young men and women aged 16-22. (Yes, there are 16 year-olds in college.) They come from a mix of countries including the UAE, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and many others that currently slip my mind. They are a good bunch of kids and way more respectful than the students I am accustomed to from Detroit …although perhaps that is not saying much. You may be surprised to learn that the students here in the UAE are an awful lot like the students back in the U.S. They date, they sneak cigarettes during class breaks, their cell phones have ring tones that mimic bad popular music, they drive fancy sports cars, and they are very fashion-savvy.
Of interest to me lately is the fashion of the nationals, especially the contemporary take on the abaya; the black robe worn by women of the Gulf region. But first I need to point out something that might not seem so obvious: Women who wear the abaya and sheyla (head scarf) do not necessarily do so because they are ultra-conservative Muslims, but because it is their national dress and they were raised this way. (That being said, the women from Saudi Arabia wear these garments because, according to their culture, it’s the law, which –while similar—is another story altogether.) Much to the displeasure of many of their parents, the up and coming generation is pushing the envelope in terms of their interpretation of their national dress and how they go about wearing the abaya. For instance, you will see female students being dropped off to school by their fathers (or, yes, their drivers) arriving fully covered in black polyester fabric from head to toe. By the time these students reach the classroom, however, their sheyla will be pushed back on their heads exposing their forehead and their abaya might be flowing open to reveal jeans and a tight t-shirt, complete with the sparkly high-heeled shoes. It’s an awkward situation to take photos of the students, so you just need to trust me on this one.
While traditionally the abaya has been solid black and un-shapely, over the past five years or so designers have been popping up and are making a new business out of selling high-end custom and ultra high-fashion (read: expensive and sometimes form-flattering) abayas throughout the region. Go to any of the big malls in Dubai and you will see a number of these stores, complete with models in their front windows showing off the latest trends.
Often these abayas will be adorned with rhinestones, fringe, and beads, sometimes with the addition of striking patterns, hints of color, and some catchy-yet-subversive details. So far the decoration has primarily been contained to the edge of the head scarf and cuffs, but I have found a few examples that dare to take patterns down the back and even the front. I have even seen a few styles that are “snuggish” in the bosom area. Very risky.
Secretly I have the dream of putting together a fashion show of alternative abayas… Abayas made out of rip-stop and coolmax. Abayas that have grafitti motifs screen-printed across them… I think I had better test the waters before I go too far out on a limb and get myself deported.
This, by the way, is Omran, the salesman who sold me
my new abaya this past weekend...
The Eid holiday (celebrating the end of Ramadan) is next week and I plan on driving ALL OVER the UAE taking pictures. Maybe I'll even sport my new digs. Stay tuned.
-T
