Piety, Glamour, and Protest: Performing Social Status and Affiliation in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

This article focuses on the fashion choices and performances that female Emirati students attending public university in the UAE create across different social and physical spaces, as well as the ways in which these feed into dynamic and fluid presentations of self. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which these self-presentations are constructed in relation to oncampus social interactions, as well as the novelty of many of these interactions and performances. The university campuses allow forms of socializing, performative interactions, and body adornment to develop that often could not be replicated in other physical spaces, off-campus. In the process, women assess and re-craft important sociocultural values, forms of reciprocity, and ways of being in the world that dominate other areas of their lives.

The Influence of Involvement and Awareness on UAE Women Attitude Towards Fashion Clothing

“…The aims were exploring women attitude towards fashion and analyzing the role of involvement and awareness on this attitude. Results show women have a positive attitude towards fashion since it will increase self-confidence and novelty for educated and working women, which support Trainer (2015) and Omair (2009) results. Results show also that there is significant influence of Involvement on women attitude towards fashion, and this result support Rahman et al (2014) research.…”

Hijab Micropractices: The Strategic and Situational Use of Clothing by Qatari Women

“…The so‐called fashionable abaya has received considerable scholarly attention (Al‐Qasimi ; DeCoursey ; Lindholm ; Moors ; Sobh et al. ; Trainer ). Women in oil‐rich Gulf countries have long worn designer clothing underneath their cloaks, but modernization, including new freedoms for women, has spurred a designer abaya industry (Abaza ; Al‐Qasimi ; Craciun ; Gökarıksel and Secor ; Kamal ; Lindholm ).…”

“…Trainer () provides four case studies that illustrate divergent hijab practices of female college students in the UAE: Lara (overly modern), Salma (fashionable yet modest), Nisa (traditional and conservative), and Fatimah (butch). Trainer uses these archetypes to demonstrate variation, yet her descriptions also reveal how hijab practices deviate at the individual level.…”

“…Trainer uses these archetypes to demonstrate variation, yet her descriptions also reveal how hijab practices deviate at the individual level. For example, (Lara's friend) Dana does not usually wear a shayla but covers her head at the mall because she is “out in a very public space” (Trainer :12). Lara wears Western gym clothes to workouts but “threw an abaya over them while in transit” (12).…”

“… LGBTQ women in Qatar also use sartorial micropractices to signify their sexuality and attract or dissuade potential suitors. A full discussion of these matters is beyond the scope of this article, but Al‐Qasimi (), Cooke (), and Trainer () explore these issues in greater detail. …”