Before I came to the UAE, I imagined it as an extremely conservative place. I packed clothes that covered me from head to toe and arrived with my guard up. The stories I’d heard in American news and blogs gave me a picture of Dubai that felt dark and dangerous, especially for women. The headlines seemed to focus on excess, scandal, and women being mistreated.
I didn’t know anyone in the US who had been to Dubai. During my time in Europe, I met a few people who had traveled there for business and said they’d had a good time. Still, plenty of people back home asked whether I’d be safe as a “woman in the middle east”.
What daily life felt like
I began to relax pretty quickly after arriving. The staff i met at the airport, hotels, and taxis were warm and welcoming, and the city was so clean and beautifully cared for that I felt at ease. I saw women from many nationalities wearing all kinds of clothes. At malls and tourist spots, people seemed to have much more freedom with their fashion than I’d expected.
I still wanted to dress respectfully, of course. I also realized that my long-sleeved maxi dress was a little ambitious for 90-degree weather. I’d packed as though I were visiting a much stricter place, but soon loosened up and found my own comfortable balance.
My dress code faux pas
There were still moments that took me by surprise though. One day, I visited the beautiful book-shaped Mohammed Bin Rashid Library wearing a long sundress that had narrow straps. The greeter stopped me at the door, and asked me if I had something to cover my shoulders with. Unfortunately, I did not as I had taken the taxi there. Thankfully, he still let me enter, but asked me to make my visit quick. It was a reminder that sometimes a little research still is required before visiting certain places.
What stayed with me
My everyday experience felt very different from the frightening picture the US media tries to portray. Staff were kind, women were out and about everywhere, and even the men who approached me on the street romantically were usually respectful. They would stop, introduce themselves, give me their business cards, and invite me to dinner somewhere nice. I felt safe much sooner than I had expected to.
I can only speak from my own experience in Dubai and the UAE, not for every country in the Middle East. But arriving there made me curious about how much of my old picture had come from click bait type stories rather than ordinary life.
I expected to spend my time bracing for danger. Instead, I found a city that felt polished, welcoming, and full of women living their lives in all kinds of ways.
