I've started noticing an interesting fashion in jeans. You know the low-rider jeans that young women wear? The kind that are unflattering even to the most slender woman because they hug the hips and cause a little bulge of fat?
As you can imagine, that style is not particularly associated with Muslim dress as it rarely covers the woman's mid-section all the way around, especially when sitting. I've noticed a strange alteration to the style. Several times I've seen women wearing pants with two waistlines. The lower one is the low-rider height, and there's another 4 inches or so of fabric on top, complete with another set of belt loops. It preserves the look of the low-riders without revealing the skin.
Incidentally, I think they look nicer as the waistline is at the natural waist rather than the widest part of the hips. And they don't have that yucky roll of fat.
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
An Odd Comment
On Wednesday last week a classmate of mine made a comment to me. She asked how long I've been in Egypt, and I told her since August, with a long winter holiday. She was surprised. She said I seem like I have a good understanding of Egyptian culture. I told her I had been here before and have Arab friends at home, and we parted ways.
Upon reflection, I thought that was an odd thing for her to say. She is a classroom acquaintance; we're friendly, but never see each other outside of class, and except for polite classroom small talk, we don't interact socially.
Today I had an opportunity to ask her what prompted that comment. She said she's been around a lot of foreigners over the years (she's an older student, probably with teenage or older kids), and I seem like I fit in well. It's just a feeling she has about me.
My host last semester said something similar that I just remembered. She said she feels comfortable with me, that I'm not like other foreigners she's known.
I don't share these things to boast, I'm just puzzled by these comments. How do foreigners normally make Egyptians feel? I'm not aware of doing anything special to blend in - I have no idea why at least 2 Egyptians perceive me differently.
Just something to ponder.
Upon reflection, I thought that was an odd thing for her to say. She is a classroom acquaintance; we're friendly, but never see each other outside of class, and except for polite classroom small talk, we don't interact socially.
Today I had an opportunity to ask her what prompted that comment. She said she's been around a lot of foreigners over the years (she's an older student, probably with teenage or older kids), and I seem like I fit in well. It's just a feeling she has about me.
My host last semester said something similar that I just remembered. She said she feels comfortable with me, that I'm not like other foreigners she's known.
I don't share these things to boast, I'm just puzzled by these comments. How do foreigners normally make Egyptians feel? I'm not aware of doing anything special to blend in - I have no idea why at least 2 Egyptians perceive me differently.
Just something to ponder.
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