NicoleB Photography

About this post: Feel free to correct me, if I’m wrong or discuss with me about various points.

Now, I’m living in Kuwait temporarily since April 2007.
I am a quite open minded European girl and I was fearing it would be difficult for me over here, regarding dress codes and behavior.

Most of the time it isn’t. People are as normal in Kuwait as anywhere else.
Yes, you see men in traditional Dishdashas and various other types of clothing.
You see women covered from head to toe,including the whole face or wearing other clothes.

But I have discovered that a lot of women choose to dress that way themselves. I haven’t met any that are forced to do it.
They wear either only the Abaya (the black dress), or the Hijab (headscarf) or both, or even the Niqab (face veil).

I’m sure there are enough women left that don’t wear it out of their free will.
As well as many women (or kids in this case) still get promised to someone or married before they are 18.

Marriage. Another things that intrigues me here. I have read a few conversations now of various Kuwaiti / Arab girls under 25 which seem to be real desperate and frustrated about not being married yet.
At the same time they struggle with modern day issues like wanting to be free and a working woman, study what they want. They are afraid that as soon as they are married, they are bound to stay at home and take care of husband and kids, which often is the case.
Yet, almost everyone here seems to have a maid, many one for cleaning and cooking and one for the kids.

It seems to lead to two extremes: Girls strolling the malls dressed up like going to a fetish disco or girls going the other extreme, covering up completely.

I leave that point alone for now, I will watch it further and try to get my thoughts together about it.

Another issue here is “How men react to women?”

Well, that’s another can of worms.

My first experience was, after the usual struggle with my paranoid American husband (I love you, dear ) about going out alone and where to go - not much of a question, dogs need to be walked, at a beach close by. A Kuwaiti men in his traditional Dishdashab, stopped and tried to talk to me and talk me into exchanging phone numbers. I tried to be polite and tell him “No, I’m happily married” After a while he got the idea and left me alone.
The other day a young boy, max 23, offered me a massage.
Usually a “No” is enough, sometimes you do have to get rude though.
I’ve flipped off a couple of people,but you have to be careful with that, it might get you into jail.
Two times I had Taxi drivers try to touch me (not Kuwaiti), it was enough from my side to give them a look and say “No".

But sadly enough, you have almost every day one case of rape, suicide and attempted suicide of Asian girls (mostly maids or girls working in Beauty salons) in the Newspaper.
Those are the not so lucky ones.
Rarely one of these men is brave enough to try his luck at a Western woman.
If I had wanted, I could have called the police in the two Taxi driver cases and they might have gotten kicked out of the country for that.
That’s the advantage of being a tough German, I carry a knife at all times as well. Just in case.
But I am about double the size of most of these Asian girls (and most men) as well, which makes it easy to appear tough.

I wish for more education on all ends and more freedom for the girls.
But I’m afraid the only thing that will happen here is more and more desperate men and more and more cases of rape and murder.

What often ticks me off the Most are the stares. They stare at you no matter what clothes you are wearing. Miniskirt or baggy clothes simply do NOT make a difference it seems.
I very often get VERY pissed of at those stares.
Doesn’t make a difference though.
In my case I started using the stares as an advantage lately and getting a bit bolder at Streetportraits.
Shrug, at least I get something out of it too

OK, I better end this for now.
It’s already much longer than I wanted it to be - oups.

I hope I haven’t bored you too much, catch you later!