By Sara Al Mehairi, News Correspondent
As I walk the paths of Northeastern in my blue jeans, ankle high boots and casual blouses, most people think I just look like any American. It’s not until they take a closer look at my accessories, which are compiled from my Emirati culture, that they might realize otherwise.
Living in Dubai instilled a great amount of fashion sense in me. There is not a day that goes by when I don’t wear my handmade necklace with my name written in fancy Arabic calligraphy. In addition to the necklace, I also wear a variety of Arab-influenced jewelry, such as bracelets and rings. I like to represent my culture through subtle fashion statements.
When I talk about fashion in the Middle East, the usual response is, “What fashion? Don’t you all hide your clothes anyway with the black cloak?” I reply with a sigh. It’s more complicated than that.
The ‘black cloak’ is actually what’s called an “abaya” and is influenced by culture, rather than religion. Although girls used to resist this garment at first, nowadays most get excited for the day when they finally get to wear one. Don’t be fooled though, just because we cover up in public doesn’t mean we don’t have great style. In my opinion, if we compiled a survey of girls all around the world and who knows the most about fashion, the Arabs would win by a landslide. Whether it’s the latest Jimmy Choo trend or the nearest Christian Lacroix sale – we know about it.
Traditionally, when a young girl finally reaches womanhood, her mother takes her for a real Arab shopping spree. It is a long and exhausting process. First, she picks the material for her new abaya, which comes in a variety of textures and colors. After you buy the material, you pop into one of the nearby shops to get “bedazzled.” The abaya is something treasured by many Arab women because it is a way of reflecting their personalities and social status. So when you go to collect your beautifully fitted abaya three weeks later, it is something you truly cherish.
Because Dubai is a tax-free international business hub, tourists from the far ends of the world arrive in the sweltering heat to rapidly rush into the air-conditioned malls. Dubai is famously known for its shopping and people can buy a Marc Jacobs leather bag, before rushing over to H&M to spend $200 on clothes. If you’re not dressed to impress in Dubai then you might as well just not leave your house.
I think I have died a thousand social suicides for not wearing an abaya or breathing high-fashion. The signature Emirati look is bright red lipstick, which brings out our tanned skin and of course traditional thick upper lid eyeliner and kohl lining, giving the impression of sultry eyes all the time.
Many women also try to squeeze their way past the traditional rules to modernize their look as much as possible. Currently, a trend for girls is to streak the back of their hair with one bright color, so when tied in a bun, it’s visible behind their thin headscarf. Even though it is covered up by the headscarf, they still manage to show off their radical hairstyles.
Although Boston is home to college students from all over the world, I can still recognize an Emirati from a distance. You can see her newly bought clothes with the latest designer shoes and even though she tones it down here, her lipstick and eyeliner never abandon her.
What I love about Boston’s fashion style is that you can literally wear anything you want. You can be dressed to the max or you can walk around in sweatpants and no one will judge you. Unlike Dubai, I feel like I can walk around campus without having to feel the eyes of judgement stare upon me. I can wear the clothes I would back home but also wear my comfy sweatshirt outside and jeans, it brings the best of both worlds.
