A recent article I came across online via the Associated Press highlights a woman in Abu Dhabi concerned about the attire (or lack thereof) of young women.
It is obvious that the Middle East as a whole tends to be more conservative when it comes to how women not only dress, but what they do. Yes, I'm pointing my finger at you Saudi Arabia who only recently allowed women to participate in the Olympics and hopefully soon drive ... cough, cough.
What I thought about reading this article though, is how it pits feminists against feminists and the colour pink for men.
On one side you have conservative feminists who object to lingerie, beauty pageants, and Brittany Spears doing a strip tease routine with a chair in a video.
On the other side you have liberal feminists who rail against the idea that anyone should tell a woman how she should dress, act, and do what she will with her body.
What about men though?
It has become plain as day to me as a father of a daughter that it is ok for my daughter to wear more 'masculine' clothes rather than if I had a son to wear more 'feminine' clothes.
This 'fashion perception' has it's roots back in the 1960's, and now a woman can wear jeans and a t-shirt and not have it construed as less feminine.
But that bridge doesn't sway over to the male side.
Thankfully I saw an episode of Sesame Street that helps curb the erroneousness of this fashion perception.
In this episode, Baby Bear is ashamed when Telly finds out he has a doll he likes to play with. Baby Bear tells Gordon, who let's Baby Bear know he has nothing to be ashamed about. Gordon points out to Baby Bear that he is wearing a pink shirt because he likes the colour pink and that's all there is to it.
So the fight for equality in the Middle East is of epic proportions for women, while in North America, if we can get to a day where men can wear a pink shirt without it being perceived as either gay, straight, or Australian, I would say we are on our way!
Remove gender perception from the colour pink for men and allow women to drive in Saudi Arabia.
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