Leaving the Country … to Buy Underwear?
And you thought you had it tough?
From a NYT article about Saudi lingerie stores
One of the oddest sights in Saudi Arabia is that of fully veiled women, hidden from others by their enveloping garments, going into the Saudi equivalent of Victoria’s Secret stores in the many upscale malls and being greeted and assisted exclusively by male sales clerks, most of whom are from South Asia. This absurd situation so embarrassed many women that they waited until they were out of the country to buy their underwear and nightgowns.
The problem was that women were not permitted to work in those stores for fear that they might be seen by men passing by. That has been changed. Now lingerie stores are required to employ women.
BTW, I can confirm from my time spent in Bahrain that the lingerie stores at the mall are quite popular.