Nothing to wear

The second most common question I was asked when I decided to move to Jerusalem (after is it dangerous) was, will you cover your hair? The answer was, and still is, no.

First of all, it's not required, despite the stereotype (repeated in the new Sex and the City 2 movie). There are a few countries like Iran, where it's required by law to cover. But, Palestine is not one of them. Second, I'm not Muslim or Jewish. (Women of both religions often cover their hair here, but in different ways.) Finally, I would feel silly covering my hair, because there's an art to it that I've never learned.

So, I'm pretty clear on head covering, but what to wear below my head seems to get more difficult by the day.

"When you go to another country, you are, in actuality, asking millions of people to let you into their home. I, for one, don’t much cotton to people who come into my home and disregard the basic rules I honor." This quote from the travel column Inga la Gringa is my motto when figuring out how to dress in other countries. I generally try to fit with the customs because then the people around me are much more likely to engage and not dismiss me as just another tourist.

So, when I arrived in Jerusalem, I adjusted to wearing long-sleeve shirts that covered up to my collar bone, and loose long pants. The outfit above from Hejab Rehab is a good example of typical dress here--trendy, but modest. This was what the guidebook told me to do, as well as our office guidelines. After a while, it started to seem normal. When I saw a woman wearing a t-shirt, it seemed risque even to me. And then summer hit and I moved to Bethlehem. All of a sudden, the women pulled out their t-shirts, and yesterday, I saw a woman wearing a strappy knee-length sundress. In the West Bank. It seemed so revealing, and yet so temptingly comfortable and cool. So, now I have no idea what to wear. I have a closet full of long-sleeve shirts, and it's 90 degrees outside. I still feel uncomfortable wearing t-shirts because men on the street tend to give me a lot more attention. But it feels strange for the American to be the most conservatively dressed one in the room.