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Beck Bamberger

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Latest Uncomfortable Experience: Wearing a Burka for the Day.

October 4, 2015

A few notes:

First, burkas are as hot as hell (temperature-wise, clearly). I ordered some standard-issue one on Amazon, which did take about 3 weeks to get here. Although made of silky polyester material, there are TWO full-length arm pieces (one with elastic), the 2nd full-length bottom portion, and the headpiece that more or less sticks around your face with an elastic fitting. I didn't think it was standard protocol to "flap" your burka in public, but whatever, I was sweating and had to on numerous occasions.

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Second, I imagined people would give me confused looks. I couldn't hide the blue eyes and blond locks completely. However, I could hardly get eye contact or a glance from ANYONE. This reminded me of the panhandling experience I did. People seemed somewhat aware but avoided all interaction and any acknowledgment. Some steered their kids away. Two cops gave me a curious, disapproving look. One little girl, along with her mom also dressed in a full garment of some sort (maybe an abaya) looked shyly aghast when I was lifting cabinets into my Corvette, probably wondering what the hell a woman like her mom was doing hoisting heavy furniture in a convertible. The overall experience wasn't anything remarkable, just quietly disconcerting. A kind of unspoken disregard for an "other." I haven't directly experienced, to my knowledge at least, racism within my own country. In some sliver of a way, maybe this is a bit like it when one is just carrying on during a casual Sunday.

Lastly, there happen to be a lot of women in Middle East garments out and about in San Diego, at least in IKEA. None that gave me a glance, either.

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