Just recently, we read about Dubai and the UAE, as well as the protests in Egypt and the incident of the women that was beaten and stripped almost naked in the street, revealing her blue bra. We had a lengthy class discussion about whether it would be ethical or not for Victoria’s Secret to get involved in the situation in Egypt because so many people had somehow managed to bring their brand into the issue just because the woman was wearing a blue bra. It was a very enlightening discussion. I was amazed at how westernized and biased public relations activities can be, and it was interesting to see how, by applying our newly learned communications skills to what we had learned about Dubai, the UAE, and the protests in Egypt, we learned that public relations, people, and cultures are often not as they seem.

My point in commenting on your blog post with such a lengthy story is just this: to say that it’s inspiring to hear about your experience with your abaya. So many people in the U.S. are under the impression that this garment is an oppressive one, but hearing about your story (especially after learning about what I’ve learned about in class) reminds me that it’s important to LEARN about different people before commenting on or interacting with them.

Thanks for your wonderful insights!

-TB