I never wanted to be a man. When I was a little girl I used to pity my brothers, thinking they would grow up to face the responsibility of supporting their families. I used to think of what would happen to them if they failed to get high marks in school or were unable to find jobs. When I grew up, I mocked those who demanded equality for Saudi women. If there is one thing that I envy my countrymen, it is their dress.
Men in this country wear flowing white cotton robes that reflect the burning heat. Their underwear and even headdresses are also white cotton, which suits our hot climate.
As for us women, our cloaks are black which means they absorb as much heat as possible. Dresses are mostly made of heavy material that allows no ventilation. The head-covering too is black and not made of cotton so no fresh air cools the head.
Not only that, women’s dress is usually made of silk or polyester with very little cotton.
The problem is made worse for women workers who arrive at the workplace drenched in sweat. The situation gets worse when they return home in the afternoon. This was not the case with our grandmothers who wore loose clothes made of cotton, which was suitable to our climate and environment.
As a Muslim woman, I am proud to wear hijab and have never complained because I consider it to be in our interest. What I don’t like, however, is to be obliged to wear black in this terribly hot weather. Surely lighter colors would be an improvement.
Studies done outside the Kingdom have shown that women are more sensitive to the weather than men. I am sure if such a study were done here, the sensitivity would be much higher than that found abroad.
