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Sex and Shopping in Saudi Arabia
Stylists to the Saudis
One rainy winter’s day, out of the blue, my half-sister Lois and I received online offers to sign up to a two year contract as stylists at a well-known women’s-access-only boutique in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We had both worked previously as personal shoppers at a high-end store in Cannes, France, while struggling to write our first novels. Much of the clientele had been wealthy Saudi women, who would spend up to $40,000 in a single visit. We had been sent on an Arabic course by our boss, who referred to these women as his ‘whales’, so we presumed the job offer from Riyadh had come through some of our satisfied Saudi customers.
Driving ban lifted
At this time, conditions for women in the Kingdom appeared to be improving. There was talk of greater political enfranchisement. The driving ban was to be lifted, women no longer classed legally as minors, and permitted to travel without male consent. Thousands of western women were working in the Kingdom, legally or semi-legally, mainly as teachers, nannies and IT consultants. It seemed a propitious time to learn more about…
