Shorts, tees and hijab: The sartorial choices of women at the World Cup
DOHA: On a ledge at Lusail Stadium, Elene stood arms spread behind her holding the Brazil flag. The overhang provides a peek onto the pitch making it a sought-after point for photographs, so Elene was among many who moved in there at half-time when Brazil played Cameroon on Friday. And she was not the only one in a bodyhugging top and shorts.
Next to where Elene posed, three women sat in abayha and hijab fiddling with phones. Photo taken, Elene left arms interlocked with the man who took her picture. The women looked up once at her before returning to their phones.
Was it supposed to be like this? Noor Ahmed thinks it was. “Qatar has been changing over the past six-seven years,” said the journalism student who speaks three languages and has a minor in Turkish.
“We want to be like, say, Dubai and letting people be themselves is important for that,” said Ahmed, a student at Qatar University interning at the Qatar National Convention Centre for the World Cup.
Lily agreed. She trained in hotel management in Kolkata before moving to Dubai to work. She has been here since March working at a serviced apartment for visitors to the World Cup in the locality of Al Mansoura. “People wear what they like but it’s been different during the World Cup,” said Lily, who is from Nagaland.
Over the past 17 days, women in shorts and tees, usually of the team they are supporting, have been seen at stadiums, in the metro, at Souk Waqif, the restored market place, the fan park in Al Bidda and at the Corniche, the bay-hugging promenade. In nine days she had been in Doha, Elene, who is from Manaus, said she didn’t notice being stared at for what she was wearing.
Dorothy Jones, who is from Ottawa, said she read up on what would be appropriate to wear before travelling. “I knew about covering shoulders and wearing dress that dropped to the knee,” she said. “But I see people in hot pants here.” Jones, who looked to be in her 50s, was in a red tee shirt and frayed jeans shorts. Her younger friend Keith too was in shorts and tees, which, going by what has been seen in Doha, seems to be the default wear for 50% of male tourists.
“We have a friend working here with whom we are staying and we knew that this is a safe place for tourists,” said Trevor who is 50 and gave only his first name. Trevor’s family comprised wife and two teenaged daughters. Speaking after Saturday’s game in the round of 16 between Netherlands and USA, the man from Ontario said: “We have seen visitors wearing all kinds of things, from the thobe and ghutrah (headgear worn by men in Qatar), to bikinis on Al Wakra beach and shorts and tank tops in West Bay.”
At Saturday’s game, everyone in Trevor’s family was in shorts and tee shirts.
Ahmed was in a black abayha and hijab of the same colour. The hijab is not mandatory in Qatar but women and men are expected to dress in a way so as not to offend local sensibilities.