At breakfast in our hotel we were surrounded by women dressed like this. We saw them often in the street. It is very hot in Middle Eastern countries and Malaysia is apparently 'cooler'. I am pleased they don't come to Melbourne for our winter. We stayed in a tourist area and so did they. They like Malaysia because most of the food in KL is halal.
While at home if I see one I stare at them hoping my eyes tell them that because of the form of dress, they are not welcome in Australia, it was the opposite in KL. I did not look at them but took them in in peripheral vision and in passing glances. But I looked enough to see them staring at us. Apparently ugly old white men are of interest to them.
By now, you will have picked up that I am not keen on their dress. I had been almost convinced that they prefer to dress like this for reasons of modesty. After observing them during our stay, I can only conclude no one would choose to dress like this for the sheer impracticability.
Modesty fell out the window when I noticed how they painted their nails. A high class prostitute would not have had better finger nail jobs than these women.
It had never occurred to me about how they eat. Think about it. How do you eat in public and not show your face? I can tell you, it is awkward. It must be a damn bitch when you have a cold.
We were waiting outside the hotel as many returned to the hotel from shopping expeditions with their husbands and at times children. I watched one get out. She reached into the car to get her child, often not the easiest thing to do. A gust of wind blew and her eyes were covered by her veil blowing up. There must have been a double layer as her face was not exposed but she couldn't see. She almost dropped her child, her shoe came off, she teetered and stumbled and then recovered.
R reminded me of a couple who were sitting in the hotel lounge area, a DV and her husband. His mate arrived, they kissed, embraced and walked arm in arm outside where they sat, ate, smoked and took tea. They had a wonderful time. They were almost like old lovers catching up twenty years later. Meanwhile his DV wife sat on in the lounge. We had coffee and a snack. She just sat on, and on.
This is not about modesty. This is pure repression of women by men who get around in very normal clothing and speak and act as the rest of the human race do. To make women wear clothing like this by cultural indoctrination from a young age and repression is a disgrace. They are semi disabled by what they wear, viewed as suspicious by most of the world and have isolated themselves from general society where communication depends strongly on being able to read facial expressions.
A few things occurred to us while we ate breakfast. What if one of their kids gets lost in a shopping centre? How could they ever find their mother among all who looked the same. Actually, they don't all look quite the same. There are different body shapes. This led us to another thought. A bloke could say, my wife is so beautiful. But how would you ever know? Hey man, are sure you sure that woman who is tagging along behind you is really your wife? Her shape and eyes look right, but are you sure? We did see a couple who even had their eyes covered. Never mind the tourists photos who could be him with anyone.
Fully veiled women in black is crap and I will have no truck with it at all and nor should any woman who believes in the so quaint old expression of equality of sexes. What we saw was pure oppression and making women into disabled non human creatures.
Australia would do well to take a lead from France and ban such outfits.
I must have mentioned my issues with them to a friend as this 'joke' photo arrived in my email inbox. Even worse is seeing them make their daughters wear such garb.
Moslems unite but not in Malaysia. Malaysian Moslem women wear a scarf but don't hide behind black.
I have no problem with the natives wearing their pretty traditional dress. One does love the smiling and happy natives. (that is irony, in case you don't get it) There is lot more to how the Darth Vaderers dressed.
I am really being intemperate now, but how dare they infringe on us and spoil our breakfast with their silly garb and how dare they stare us like WE are the freaks.