Bahraini Beauty: Exploring The Unique Charm Of Local Women

Bahraini women are known for their beauty and elegance, with a diverse range of backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities contributing to their unique and captivating appearances. While the traditional beauty standard for Bahraini women typically aligns with the classic Arab ideal of dark long hair, tanned clear skin, and a curvy body, each local woman embraces her distinct personal style. Bahraini women are also celebrated for their expertise in traditional textile embroidery, reflecting their deep connection to the country's rich culture and heritage. In recent decades, Bahraini women have made remarkable strides in various fields, breaking free from conventional societal roles and achieving success in education, medicine, finance, and even high-ranking government positions.

Bahraini beauty standards

Beauty standards in Bahrain are diverse and multifaceted, reflecting the country's rich cultural heritage and the varying backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities of its female population. While traditional beauty ideals persist, modern Bahraini women are also challenging stereotypes and embracing individual expression.

Traditional Beauty Standards

The traditional beauty standard in Bahrain, much like in other Arab societies, typically revolves around specific physical attributes. These include dark, long hair, tanned or clear skin, and a curvy body. Long noses, big eyes, and long eyelashes are also considered attractive features. Fair skin, while not universal, is also sought after by some. This combination of features has been compared to the "Kardashian aesthetic," reflecting the influence of Western beauty ideals.

Modern Interpretations

In recent times, Bahraini beauty standards have evolved, and there is a growing emphasis on individual expression and diversity. The Miss Universe Bahrain pageant, for example, aims to "redefine beauty standards and challenge stereotypes." The pageant celebrates not only physical beauty but also intellect, compassion, and societal contributions. Contestants have diverse backgrounds and passions, ranging from community advocacy to environmental sustainability and mental health awareness. This shift reflects a broader movement towards celebrating empowered women who embody the spirit of the modern Bahraini woman.

Fashion and Self-Expression

Fashion and self-expression play a significant role in Bahraini beauty standards. The traditional garments for women in Bahrain include the jellabiya, a long, loose dress commonly worn at home. Women may also practice the muhtashima, partially covering their hair, or the muhajiba, fully covering it. However, with increased exposure to Western influences and the work of female activists and educators, Bahraini women have embraced a wider range of fashion trends and styles.

Empowerment and Opportunities

Bahraini women have made significant strides in various fields, breaking free from conventional societal roles. They now pursue careers in education, medicine, nursing, finance, and politics, among other areas. Bahrain was the first Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country to have women in high government rankings, with female ministers and ambassadors representing the country. This empowerment has translated into beauty standards, with a growing focus on intellectual prowess, confidence, and individual achievements.

Traditional clothing

Bahrain, like other Arab countries, has its own distinct style of traditional clothing. The traditional dress code in Bahrain is heavily influenced by Islam, with modest and practical garments designed to protect the body from the sun.

For men, the standard attire is a long, white "thowb" or "thobe", which covers the arms, legs, and neck. Underneath, men typically wear lightweight pants and a shirt. The thowb itself is usually white, although it can also come in various shades of beige during the summer months. In winter, thowbs tend to be thicker and darker.

On their heads, men wear a "ghitra", which is a white scarf or a combination of a red and white scarf with a thick black rope placed on top. The way the ghitra is worn differs from country to country, so it can be used to identify where a man is from.

Women in Bahrain traditionally wear an "abaya", a long black dress that covers the body and arms. Abayas are designed to be modest, but they can also be fashionable, featuring lace and other decorative trims. While not all women in Bahrain wear a headscarf or "hijab", they are common. The hijab can be black or colourful, and some women also choose to wear black gloves and a "nikab", a facial covering that leaves only the eyes visible.

For special occasions, women wear brightly coloured "jalabiyas" or "jalabya", long-sleeved dresses with intricate embroidery. These dresses come in a variety of colours and are worn for holidays and celebrations. For example, a "Thobe Nashal" is worn over the "Jalabiya", featuring handwoven patterns and a vibrant red colour. Additionally, for special occasions, Arab women wear a gold headpiece called a "Gubgub".

Women's rights and freedoms

Women in Bahrain have made significant strides in recent years, gaining freedoms and opportunities in various aspects of life. They are provided with liberties and respect for their personal choices, as guaranteed by the laws of Bahrain and upheld by Bahraini society. However, it is important to acknowledge that women in Bahrain still face widespread discrimination and gender inequality in many areas.

Political Participation

Bahrain made history in 2002 by granting women the right to vote and stand in national elections, becoming the first nation in the region to grant universal female suffrage. This move towards political empowerment was accompanied by conscious efforts to promote women to positions of authority within the government. Despite this, women continue to face challenges in getting elected and remain underrepresented in decision-making roles. In the 2018 parliamentary elections, for instance, only 39 female candidates ran compared to 330 men.

Education

Bahrain has a strong educational foundation for women, dating back to the establishment of the first secular school for women, the Al-Khadija Al-Kubra, in 1928. Bahraini women also have the opportunity to pursue higher education in various fields. In 2007, they comprised 72% of the students at Arabian Gulf University and 67% at the University of Bahrain. However, the lack of certain subjects available to female students, such as technical courses, limits their career prospects and contributes to higher unemployment rates.

Employment

Women in Bahrain have expanded their roles beyond traditional expectations and achieved careers in diverse sectors, including education, medicine, nursing, financing, and banking. The Bahraini government actively encourages women's participation in the workforce and offers incentives for employers to hire them. Despite these efforts, women still face societal pressures to adhere to traditional roles, and they only constitute around one-fifth of the working population.

Legal Rights

In 2005, Bahrain joined the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), a significant step towards advancing women's rights internationally. However, the country's commitment to Sharia law prevents the full implementation of certain CEDAW articles, such as the prohibition of discrimination within governmental policies and the right for women to pass on their citizenship. Additionally, there is a lack of legal protection for women facing domestic violence, and spousal rape is not criminalized.

Women in politics

Women in Bahrain face widespread discrimination and gender inequality in many areas of life, including politics. Despite this, Bahrain was the first Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country to have women in high government rankings and roles, such as ministers and ambassadors. In 2002, an amendment to the Constitution of Bahrain gave women the right to vote and stand in national elections, although no women were elected to office that year. In 2004, Dr. Nada Haffadh became the country's first female cabinet minister when she was appointed Minister of Health. Since then, several other women have been appointed to prominent positions, including Dr. Fatima Albalooshi, the second female minister, and Houda Nonoo, a Jewish activist who was appointed ambassador to the United States in 2008.

Women's rights have been a cornerstone of the political reforms initiated by King Hamad, and there has been a conscious drive to promote women to positions of authority within the government. However, there was initially some ambivalence towards the extension of political rights to women, even from women themselves, with 60% of Bahraini women opposing giving women the right to vote in 2001. After the poor performance of women candidates in the 2002 parliamentary elections, six women were appointed to the Shura Council, the upper chamber of parliament.

In 2006, Bahrain took another step forward by appointing lawyer and women's rights activist Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa as President of the United Nations General Assembly, making her the first Middle Eastern woman and the third woman in history to hold the position. Despite these advancements, women's rights activists in Bahrain, such as Ghada Jamsheer, have criticized the government's reforms as "artificial and marginal," accusing them of using women's rights as a "decorative tool on the international level."

One of the challenges to women's political participation in Bahrain is the lack of a unified personal status law, which gives Sharia judges discretion in matters such as divorce and child custody. While women's rights organizations have campaigned for a unified law, they have faced resistance from Shia Islamist groups, who argue that only religious leaders have the authority to change the law. This issue has divided civil society, with women's rights and human rights groups on one side and Shia Islamist groups on the other.

Women in the workplace

Women in Bahrain are provided with freedoms in every aspect of their lives, and their personal liberties are respected by the laws of Bahrain and Bahraini society. Women in Bahrain have had opportunities to deviate from traditional roles and achieve careers in fields such as education, medicine, nursing, financing, clerical jobs, light manufacturing, banking, and veterinary science.

Bahrain was the first Gulf state to have education for women, with the first secular school for women, Al-Khadija Al-Kubra, established in 1928. In the 1950s, the first group of Bahraini women studied in Cairo, Egypt, and Beirut, Lebanon, to become teachers and school principals in Bahrain. The College of Health Sciences, opened in 1959, gave women the opportunity to become nurses, and women were also able to study medicine and related fields in Jordan, Beirut, and Egypt.

In 2002, an amendment to the Constitution of Bahrain gave women the vote and the right to stand in national elections, and in 2004, Dr. Nada Haffadh became the country's first female cabinet minister. Bahrain was also the first Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country to have women in high government rankings, such as ministers and ambassadors. Women are generally safe in the Bahraini workplace, with little sexual harassment due to severe punishments for this crime. However, there are no laws in Bahrain to protect women against domestic violence.

The influx of foreign women to Bahrain has accelerated the shift towards gender equality in the workplace. Arab women have traditionally worked in teaching and nursing, but they are now increasingly found in other fields, especially banking, finance, and the service sector. Expatriate female workers are commonly employed in the service sector as doctors, lawyers, hotel administrators, advertising professionals, public relations specialists, nurses, educators, and stewardesses for national airlines. Local employers often view Bahraini women as harder-working and more reliable than local male workers. However, women from middle and upper-class families are more likely to attain positions of power and influence, and they require the support of their families, especially male members, to succeed in their careers.

While more women are entering the workforce in Bahrain, some challenges remain. Wives of expatriate workers often have passport restrictions that prohibit them from working unless they obtain their own sponsorship and work visa. However, employers are often biased against providing work visas to women. Women tourists from Eastern Europe, particularly prostitutes, have also reduced the level of respect previously afforded to foreign women in Bahrain. Despite these challenges, women in Bahrain continue to make strides in various industries and sectors, breaking free from traditional roles, and gaining representation in high-ranking positions.

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