A quick note on modesty...

Hey, there have been a couple of questions and I have learned a lot since coming on what modesty is in this culture so I thought I'd share a little tiny bit... I still am learning the boundaries a little, so don't quote me on this. :) What I have learned though is that modesty in the neckline is important, and many women who wear headcoverings (though not all here) cover their necks something like this...



(The picture is taken from wikipedia's article on "Hijab" if you'd like more info.)

However, just as important as appropriate neckline in the villages we visit or go to for CBTs is that if we are not wearing a skirt, our butts are covered. If you wear a skirt, your shirt does not need to be as long, but if you've got pants on shirts around mid-thigh are ideal.

The women in our group will not generally be expected to wear traditional local clothing for women, but to integrate into our communities we will definately need to be respectful of them. There is certain leeway allowed to foreigners, but if you push that too far, people may make certain assumptions about you that could make it difficult to have sufficient credibility to do your work in your community. The other concern you may run into if you are not respectful of the norms is that people look at you as being more liberal...and you are potentially open to more harassment from men. Again, it just depends on the area. Harassment is, though, generally more of a big city thing (where there are more tourists) than a small town thing.

The volunteer I visited on my field trip, just for examples sake, initially wore the traditional dress of the women in the area (like what I had on in the picture). But, it was a bit restrictive, and the shoes that go with it made walking around to talk to the community a bit harder. She downgraded to a headscarf. Over time she began to wear a sunhat (to be respectful of the headcovering norm in her area) and she wears long sleeve shirts and pants and integrates fine. It all depends, though, on your community as far as how conservative they are and what they'll expect from you!

I didn't bring any shirts that are long enough to wear with pants, but luckily did bring plenty of skirts. In the "big town" where we are staying for our seminar site, we can do long sleeve shirts and "shorter" shirts and generally be okay. I need to ask though, if I work a long scarf tied around my waist with pants, if that would make them more acceptable, or if I should invest in some longer shirts.... still so much to learn!