Stupid Tourists, Or How to Dress Appropriately in Morocco
Caution: travel snobbery and tourist judgment ahead.
So we’ve been living in Essaouira for about three weeks now. It’s a tourist-friendly town on the coast, and we’ve already noticed a slight up-tick in the tourist numbers since first arriving. I’m glad we’ll be leaving before the full weight of the spring tourists descends on these cramped streets.
As you probably know, Morocco is a Muslim nation. It’s quite a liberal one (the most liberal, I’m told), but you still hear the haunting call to prayer five times a day, and there are mosques–with very unassuming doors–on every major street.
As such, men and women dress conservatively. For women, the dress varies from cover-every-but-the-eyes djellabas to conservative, professional attire that covers everything from the neck to the ankles. Here in Essaouira, the rate of women who wear a head scarf covering at least their hair is probably about 75%. In larger cities, that rate would be lower.
Style Tips for the Smart Tourist
Here’s part of what my Lonely Planet Morocco has to say about how to dress:
Your choice of attire still may be perceived as a sign of respect for yourself, your family and your hosts (or lack thereof)…So if you want to make your family look good, and don’t want to miss out on some excellent company–especially among older Moroccans–do make a point to dress modestly.
For men and women alike, this means not wearing shorts and sleeveless tops. Even in trendy nightclubs, clingy clothing, short skirts and low-cut and midriff tops could be construed as, ahem, the oldest kind of professional attire.
That advice is reflected in online forums I’ve read. You’re always going to be recognizably a tourist (more on this in an old post), but it’s easy to respect the local dress code.
And in Essaouira, 19 out of 20 tourists do. Unfortunately, the twentieth always manages to embarrass themselves horribly. It’s not such a big deal for men, but they should leave the shorts on the beach (frankly, that advice ought to apply to the whole globe) and they should not, at any time, wear one of the local’s full length, hooded djellaba. I saw one North American doing that the other day, and he was getting all sorts of smirks from the locals.
Women are more restricted in what they should wear. As such, their fashion faux pas are more egregious. Shorts, short skirts, midriff-baring and low-cut tops, sleeveless shirts–it’s all pretty shameful.
A Few Brain Cells and Jedi Robes
It doesn’t take too many brain cells to:
- Read a guidebook or travel forum and follow some basic sartorial advice.
- Look around. See how much skin the locals aren’t showing, and dress accordingly.
Once every couple of days I see a ridiculously-dressed tourist that I just want to smack.
On a related note, the djellaba was almost certainly the inspiration for Jedi robes (and, come to think of it, the Jawa costumes). In fact, I suspect the costumer on the earliest Star Wars movie just bought one off a Berber’s back in Tunisia and threw it on Alec Guinness.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
I have to say, I was a bit astonished to see people wearing spaghetti-strap tank tops in Zimbabwe. It just seemed… weird.
I did have one with me as well, but I wore it UNDER another shirt. There’s no way I would have worn it alone… even if that is virtually what I live in at home.
And shorts? Yeah. No shorts. I didn’t bring any. (Although my concession to the 40-45 degree heat was to wear a lot of capris…)
While I might not agree necessarily with having to “cover up”, I also don’t agree with offending the locals. Maybe it’s just me. :)
January 27th, 2008 at 11:31 am
I remember passing a high school in Tunisia and seeing the girls in jeans and t-shirts… over long-sleeved black shirts. Our driver was wearing a heavy sweater AND a leather jacket inside a pretty toasty car with no air conditioning. I guess they’re used to it, but it astounds me how a culture in one of the hottest parts of the world decides to make everybody cover up in heavy dark clothing.
We covered pretty much to the ankles and wrists just to be polite. It’s not that hard to do with long flowy sleeves and skirts that circulate the air. The half-naked visitors don’t realize the sort of attention they might attract, especially if they wander out of the tourist areas…
January 27th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I know, I’m walking around in a t-shirt and jeans on the beach, and I’m passing people in sweaters and heavy jackets. Our temperature ranges are just set very differently, I guess. I’m glad I won’t be here when it gets seriously hot.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Why shouldn’t people wear a djellaba? They look like they’d be awfully comfortable.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
TOH: It’s just a kind of gut instinct, I guess. To me, it smells like pretence and cultural appropriation–”I’m wearing your clothes, and therefore I’m like you”. Or, even worse, “I’m wearing your clothes for a lark, and I’m laughing at you”. Even if the intent is legit and respectful, it can easily be misinterpreted.
On the other hand, if somebody wants to wear a djellaba in Canada (or, heck, anywhere they’re not conventionally worn), go nuts.
January 28th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I guess I’d see it as ‘I’m trying to learn your culture.’ I’d try to cover my head, for example, if I was walking around in an Islamic country…it wouldn’t be strictly required in many places, but I would think that it would be respectful to at least observe the traditions.
But I haven’t traveled much…so it’s probably a moot point.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
What this post is missing are some photos of the offenders. I say shame them.
Then again, here in Hawaii, I never have my camera when I see the couple in matching Hawaiian print shirts and shorts with white tube socks and brown velcro shoes.
January 29th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
It just takes some common sense and a little research. I agree pictures…we need to embarrass them.
January 30th, 2008 at 7:19 am
Dress appropriately is a good one.
Also, watch your feet in Muslim countries. Don’t put them up, wear them in homes or mosques, or wipe them on fountains, buildings, etc.
Learn the basic cultural faux pas before you go, most good guide books (and blogs) will give you good advice.
January 30th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Also - Turkey is the most liberal predominantly Muslim nation ;)
January 30th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
It seems to me, that you can’t pick on both and be fair. Reading through your post, I have no trouble imagining that a short sleeved, short skirt wouldn’t go over very well. But then to say that you can’t try to wear the local attire (which was what I was imagining would be more comfortable in the heat than long pants and long shirts) because you’ll inevitably do it wrong, leaves me wondering what’s left.
I would rather know what you should do, then, if you were interested in wearing the local attire. Because on the rare occasions where I have traveled, that certainly would have been my preference.
January 31st, 2008 at 6:14 am
Sonja: You make a good point, but my goal isn’t about being fair. It’s about being as respectful as possible to the locals.
One concern I have with wearing local attire in Muslim countries is that clothes are dictated, informed and motivated by religion. As I indicated earlier, that makes wearing a djellaba a charged and possibly offensive gesture.
In my experience, the average tourist (and I’d include myself in that group) isn’t informed enough to make smart judgments about the cultural impact of wearing local garments.
I’d have fewer objections to dressing like the locals if the clothes have less symbolic power. A good example might be wearing a brightly-coloured shirt in a local pattern in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the visitor has to be informed enough to know that certainly colours and patterns will affiliate them with certain political groups. The same goes for Northern Ireland–you want to be a little careful which neighbourhoods you wander through if you’re wearing orange in that country.
February 9th, 2008 at 2:44 am
This goes back to the 70’s but in Morocco, as in almost all places I travel to, I went under the assumption that the local dress was the dress that best fitted the climate. So I went into the local souk, spent about 3/4 hour bargaining for a djellaba (a wonderful experience the details of which I remember to this day) and then proceeded to wear the garment for the rest of my stay in the country. I was aware of no smirking or derogatory glances at any time, and found the garment very confortable and warm. I even wore it in Paris (I wouldn’t do this today however…) but there I did get accosted by a couple of local arab men who objected to me wearing THEIR national clothing. If this happened today, I wouldn’t put up with such comments, but would counter “who do you think that you are to dictate to me what I can or cannot wear?” But of course they do this with their own people too now don’t they…?
Robert