What are you wearing?

In another context this question might be considered mildly offensive, but it’s quite relevant to my position in Morocco. Navigating the clothing conundrum is one of the most important ways in which female volunteers adapt culturally and ensure their safety and security.

Something I haven’t talked a lot about is the heightened sense of the public and the private. How I would dress in a house of my own is very different than how I dress in my host family’s home, which, in turn, is very different from how I dress in public. I could wear shorts and a tank top in my own home and no one would care, but the minute I step out onto the street, my manner and dress convey multiple messages about who I am and what my intentions are.

My gender plays a significant role in all of this. As a woman I’m expected to cover-up quite a bit. (You can see how some of the young women in my community dress to the right.) Most days I wear jeans with a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt. It’s always a plus if the shirt is long enough to cover the rear pockets of my jeans. If I’m in public or in the presence of men I never show above the elbows or knees, or my collarbones (the New York Times was right - they are an erogenous zone!). Cleavage is absolutely out of the question. As the temperatures are quite low this time of year, this hasn’t been much of a challenge. (I’m wearing four layers and sitting inside my sleeping bag underneath a blanket as I type this. I’ve formed an alliance with the family cat to keep warm at night! Oh, and I’m also knitting myself legwarmers, mostly for their function and, maybe, just a tiny bit (like 1%, I swear!) for their fashion. Oh, that hurt to admit.)

The consequences of dressing inappropriately can be serious. It’s considered disrespectful to both men and women to display a lot of skin. Today, over tea, my host sisters, Habiba and Jmeia, and I had a discussion about the hashuma of showing our shoulders. Their advice to me: don’t do it. In a large city like Fes or Ouarzazate a women could be mistaken for a prostitute if she wears too little clothing. Even in the blistering hot summer I’m expected to wear long pants and long sleeves. It’s important that I demonstrate my willingness to adapt to my community, otherwise they may not respect my efforts to work with them as a professional.

None of this is to say that Moroccan women don’t dress how they please. There are those who wear traditional j’llabahs everyday, and there are those who wear skinny jeans and look like someone plucked them right out of Williamsburg. The veil is not mandatory here, and many women adopt it by choice - even over the protests of their parents and siblings. I happen to live in a conservative, rural town that has certain expectations. Even so, I have to say that my community has also been respectful of my choices. No one has insisted that I wear a zif (head scarf) or give up wearing pants. They were very supportive, however, when I bought a pair of house slippers. tHla bezzef (very nice).

In other news: I now have Skype and I almost know how to use it. There’s a bit of a time delay, but I believe it’s beneficial to my mental health to hear your voices, even if we can’t carry on a totally normal conversation. So call me. I miss you guys.