--- description: Correction appended Jan. 29 There is nothing quite as contentious as the headscarf issue when it comes to women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, at least... title: Michelle Obama didn't cover her head in Saudi. Does it matter? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte7302e6ab6e073eb/69877c5255a8590d3aa85804/michelle-obama1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Michelle Obama Unveiled in Saudi: A Style Statement, Not a Political Statement by [Aryn Baker](/author/aryn-baker/) ## Aryn Baker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 28, 2015 4:43 PM CUT  President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama participate in a delegation receiving line with new Saudi Arabian King, Salman bin Abdul Aziz, right, in Riyadh, Jan. 27, 2015. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama participate in a delegation receiving line with new Saudi Arabian King, Salman bin Abdul Aziz, right, in Riyadh, Jan. 27, 2015.Carolyn Kaster—AP by [Aryn Baker](/author/aryn-baker/) ## Aryn Baker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 28, 2015 4:43 PM CUT **Correction appended Jan. 29** There is nothing quite as contentious as the headscarf issue when it comes to women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, at least where western observers are concerned. So when U.S. first lady Michelle Obama went to pay her respects after the death of Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh with her hair [uncovered](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/michelle-obama/11373787/Michelle-Obama-causes-outrage-in-Saudi-Arabia-by-not-wearing-headscarf.html "undefined"), social media lit up with both praise and opprobrium. “Michelle Obama shouldve stayed in Airforce One as a sign of boycott rather than flouting rules of another country #Michelle\_Obama\_NotVeiled” tweeted [@Random\_Arora](https://twitter.com/Random%5FArora/status/560413723399946240 "undefined"). “She was a guest in another country &culture. She should make no judgements, but show proper respect at a funeral.2 #Michelle\_Obama\_NotVeiled,” [wrote @MonaBadah](https://twitter.com/MonaBadah/status/560367616036835329 "undefined"). The thing is, Obama wasn’t really flouting any rules when she chose not to wear a headscarf. While foreign female visitors to the Kingdom are expected to wear long, loose fitting garments as a sign of respect — Obama obliged with a long coat over dark trousers — the headscarf is optional. The _muttawa_, or religious police, might growl menacingly, but there is nothing legally wrong with going uncovered for non-Muslims. Doing so may draw unwanted attention, and the ire of conservatives, but most Saudis treat the headscarf as a sign of piety, or at least feigned piety for public consumption. When it comes to women’s rights in the kingdom, the headscarf is the least of any Saudi activist’s worries. She is more likely to be concerned about the [right to drive](http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2079413,00.html "undefined"), the right to vote, the right to keep her children after asking for divorce and the right to travel, marry and [work ](http://world.time.com/2011/06/07/in-saudi-arabia-lingerie-reveals-all/ "undefined")without express permission from a male guardian. So maybe if Obama had driven to the funeral herself, it would have been worth a stir. Instead, she did as several other notable female visitors to the Kingdom, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice among them, have done before: dressing respectfully without compromising their own personal sense of style. It’s not like Mr. Obama decided to don a [_thobe_](http://www.google.co.uk/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=thobe&oe=UTF-8&gfe%5Frd=cr&hl=en&sa=X&oi=image%5Fresult%5Fgroup&ei=kA%5FJVMvmJfDd7QatjIGoAw&ved=0CBoQsAQ "undefined") and [_shemagh_](http://www.google.co.uk/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=shemagh&oe=UTF-8&gfe%5Frd=cr&hl=en&sa=X&oi=image%5Fresult%5Fgroup&ei=1g%5FJVK6SJ-S07gaOmYGoBA&ved=0CCQQsAQ "undefined") for the occasion. **Correction: The original version of this story mischaracterised Obama’s visit to Riyadh. It was to offer condolences for the Saudi King**. ### See Michelle Obama's Best Outfits of 2014  After being criticized for wearing a sparkly sleeveless dress to the 2013 State of the Union, Obama went with a more conservative ensemble by Azzedine Alaia for the 2014 State of the Union Address. Drew Angerer—EPA  Never one to shy away from color, Obama donned a bold red coat for a visit from French President Francois Hollande in February. Pete Marovich—Bloomberg/Getty Images  Obama won plaudits for this powder blue and black lace gown by Carolina Herrera, which she wore to a state dinner with Hollande in February. Evan Vucci—AP  During a visit to Beijing in March to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Obama wore a custom dress by Naeem Khan which updated the traditional Chinese red dress — and her daughters didn't look too bad either. Andy Wong—Pool/AFP/Getty Images  The first lady doesn't just own formal wear. For this visit to a Beijing school that prepares children to study abroad, she dressed casually, but with flair. Andy Wong—Pool/Getty Images  For this February appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon, Obama went with a sleeveless jumpsuit, showing off her toned arms. NBC/Getty Images  The White House Correspondents' Dinner is often jokingly called Nerd Prom, but Obama's choice of a grey tulle embroidered dress from Marchesa was neither nerdy nor prom-like. Olivier Douliery—Pool/Getty Images  The devil may wear Prada, but Obama went for another Naeem Khan when she met fashionista Anna Wintour at a ribbon-cutting in May. Paul Zimmerman—WireImage/Getty Images  Returning from the dedication of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Obama aimed for a subdued but still classy look. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images  The president may have gone for jeans, but Michelle Obama was ready for summer, wearing a crisp white summer dress to the White House Fourth of July celebration. Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images  For a luncheon at The Grammy Museum in July, Obama once again went sleeveless in a white dress from Phillip Lim. Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic/Getty Images  During a visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Obama wore a colorful wrap from Diane von Furstenberg. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images  At an awards dinner held by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Obama chose a dress from Bibhu Mohapatra's fall collection. Nicholas Kamm—AFP/Getty Images  No ugly Christmas sweaters in sight as Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha and the family dogs greet the White House Christmas tree. Joshua Roberts—Bloomberg/Getty Images  Ending the year in style, and mirroring the White House Christmas decorations, Obama wore this dress by Monique Lhuiller to the Kennedy Center honors in December. Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3685996/michelle-obama-saudi-arabia/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3685996/michelle-obama-saudi-arabia/"},"headline":"Michelle Obama Unveiled in Saudi: A Style Statement, Not a Political Statement","datePublished":"2015-01-28T16:43:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:05:59.139Z","description":"Correction appended Jan. 29 There is nothing quite as contentious as the headscarf issue when it comes to women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, at least...","url":"https://time.com/3685996/michelle-obama-saudi-arabia/","keywords":["women's rights","Michelle Obama","Saudi Arabia"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte7302e6ab6e073eb/69877c5255a8590d3aa85804/michelle-obama1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aryn Baker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/aryn-baker/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte7302e6ab6e073eb/69877c5255a8590d3aa85804/michelle-obama1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Barack Obama, Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Michelle Obama","caption":"President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama participate in a delegation receiving line with new Saudi Arabian King, Salman bin Abdul Aziz, right, in Riyadh, Jan. 27, 2015.","creditText":"Carolyn Kaster—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3685996/michelle-obama-saudi-arabia/","name":"Michelle Obama Unveiled in Saudi: A Style Statement, Not a Political Statement"}}]}] ```