Bans on heads on mannequins and salesmen of ladies undergarments

Sharjah is cracking the whip on ladies garment shops.

Mannequins in Sharjah shops should be headless and only model “decent” clothing, a Sharjah Municipality circular has stated.

Gulf News interviewed Khalid Al Jaberi, head of market control at Sharjah Municipality:

“We reinforced the ban because it was a religious issue that raised many complaints from residents, who were against shops displaying men and women’s undergarments on realistic mannequins,” said Al Jaberi.

He said no fines had been imposed on shops because everyone had adhered to the circular.

Sharjah Municipality originally implemented the ban five years ago following a fatwa issued by the Islamic Affairs Department.

However, the ban has been reinforced because several outlets had stopped abiding by the rule. [seems to contradict earlier paragraph]

The municipality has always been keen on conserving the traditional Islamic values of Sharjah and has already implemented several rules, including the ban on men selling women’s undergarments in shops.

When I first arrived in Sharjah in the Spring of 2002 I visited the Sharjah Art Museum -- I highly recommend it. It had an exhibit of modern art. I was struck most by the mannequin in an abaya with red finger nails and red handcuffs on her wrists. Without thinking about rules I pulled out my camera and out of nowhere stepped a guard who sterning indicated no photos allowed.

Here's my post on the ban of men showing ladies undergarments from March 2007.

Sharjah bans men working in women's lingerie :: Gulf News

Quote:

Men are not allowed to sell lingerie in Sharjah and shops have been advised that only women should be hired for this sales position, the Sharjah Economic Development Department said. It has already shut down 10 shops for flouting the rule.
...
The ruling follows similar laws in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Kingdom's labour ministry had said earlier that it will help create jobs for women.
...
Al Mahmoud added that the rule must be strictly adhered to, because it is a matter of morals which should be followed in our traditional society. "We will put an awareness plan into action and will intensify the campaign against male employees from selling women's garments," he said.

[GN supplies this image.]

The sands are shifting on the matter of morals. Traditionally, women could not work in shops. Women in Saudi Arabia had to fight for the right to buy lingerie from saleswomen -- the moral police barred women from working in shops.

It is not clear whether women were barred from working in shops in the UAE. If they were not, then the inference an economist would make is that shoppers either preferred to be served by men (unlikely) or that they were not willing to pay the higher prices shops would have to charge to cover the higher wages women receive.

I observe that in Dubai there are lingerie shops that where the sales staff is 100% female and others where it is 100% male. Customers have a choice between them. In the US, I don't think I've ever seen a male salesperson selling lingerie to women. It would be considered rather kinky.