headscarf fashion

If I close the door in my classroom at Georgetown, I can imagine that I'm teaching somewhere in the Middle East. There are a few Spanish speakers, a token Brazilian, and one lone Korean (how I miss my Koreans!), but half of the faces that stare up at me are partially covered in a lovely array of headscarves. It's a fashion show every day.

There's the beautiful B, with her brown and bright pink flowered scarf that often slips out and requires tucking several times per class. Make-up perfect, lips a bright shade of pink. There's A, wearing an abaya (the robe or cloak-like cover than some women in the Saudi area wear), always demure and feminine in light blue. My smartest student, S, alternates between a bright pink and white flowered scarf and one of multi-colors. Like A, O also sports an abaya and wears a reserved color scarf, but her sparkly purple tennis shoes give her bright personality away. And R, who wasn't blessed with great beauty, still looks stunning with a bright blue scarf.

I wish I could show you pictures.

I love seeing how personalities are revealed in the way these girls wear their scarves. And I love the little peek of fashion hidden underneath the abayas (jeans, dress pants, sweatpants! bright purple tights). And sometimes I see a shadow of a hairstyle in a ponytail bump or thick piece of bang that drops out from under the scarf. But I long to see what they look like beneath their scarves. I certainly look different with my hair hidden...are they prettier? The same? Do they have curly hair? Wavy? Wild hair cuts? Would removing the headscarf change the way they behave? Would it bring out a different part of their personality?

Maybe one day I'll declare a "girls-only" class and then I'll get to see.