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‘They Come, and They Are Happy’: A Gender Topography of Consumer Space in Dubai

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Lived Experiences of Public Consumption

Part of the book series: Consumption and Public Life ((CUCO))

Abstract

In 2004, several US-American newspapers published articles praising Saudi Arabia for a step towards women’s liberation. In Riyadh, a shopping center had dedicated an entire floor to women’s-only usage; women could take off their veils and shop without fear of interruption by male intruders. The Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and the Seattle Times were unanimous in their approval of the Lady’s Kingdom shopping center. According to their accounts, it was a ‘liberated zone’ in the midst of a land, ‘where women are kept under wraps by packs of cane-wielding religious police.’ The Los Angeles Times article quoted the manager of a Giorgio Armani store, who reported that women storm the place, ‘they come, they take their “abayas” off, and they’re happy’ (Stack, 2004).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria

    Anette Baldauf

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  1. Anette Baldauf
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rutgers University, USA

    Daniel Thomas Cook

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© 2008 Anette Baldauf

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Cite this chapter

Baldauf, A. (2008). ‘They Come, and They Are Happy’: A Gender Topography of Consumer Space in Dubai. In: Cook, D.T. (eds) Lived Experiences of Public Consumption. Consumption and Public Life. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230591264_12

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