Saudi Women Learn to Sell Bras—But Still Can't

Women push for the right to work in underwear shops
By A Ali,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 24, 2009 6:24 PM CDT
Saudi Women Learn to Sell Bras—But Still Can't
Women say they often end up with the wrong underwear size because the shops have no fitting rooms.   (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Two dozen Saudi women are pushing change in Saudi Arabia, one underwear at a time. The graduates of the first lingerie class in the kingdom—where women can't sell such products—learned essentials such as how to measure bra sizes during the 10-day class. An Australian woman taught the course, and Victoria's Secret employees donated the bras, the AP reports.

The course's organizers are also boycotting lingerie shops until they hire women. The advocates say women often end up in the wrong sizes and are tired of discussing intimate details with the men who staff nearly every underwear store in Saudi Arabia. The students were "shy at first to role-play and do fittings on each other," one graduate admits, "but we got over it."
(More Saudi Arabia stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X