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First Lady’s trip to Saudi Arabia

by Erin Martin

First lady Michelle Obama went without a headscarf during her visit to Saudi Arabia and quickly sparked conversations about her choice to not wear the customary veil. In a trip to show respect for the death of King Abdullah, the first lady joined her husband President Obama shortly after the country’s loss to give condolences at a ceremony.

Michele Obama stood out to many by foregoing the traditional veil, known as a niqab. Dress code for all women in the country is very strict– a headscarf and loose fitting black robes in public. Women in Saudi Arabia are required by law to wear clothes under guidelines while women of the foreign countries are not required to do the same.

While the first lady showed up dressed very conservative and sophisticated as always, she got negative attention for what was mediocre occurrence. This causing so much controversy is a huge notion and speaks volumes on the ongoing conditions in Saudi Arabia.

The largest buzz was seen on blogs, Twitter, and Facebook where people expressed their dissatisfaction, while feminist and pro- women responded to attackers calling Mrs. Obama a hero and thanking her for standing up to strict rule and struggle they deal with for freedom.

Social media served as an outlet for hundreds as they held conversations and some debates adding “#michelle_obama_unveiled”, people also added to the conversation about her refusal to observe customs of the country.

In a range of comments of disapproval to praise, there’s clearly a lot to be said about the laws in place for women and how a gesture so simple can be viewed differently for many. In a society oppressive to women’s rights and expression, this was a bold move on part of Mrs. Obama. Whether or not she intended to make such a strong political statement, it was definitely made, making us pay attention to the fact that there are still very limited rights for women.

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