Packilvania: Difference between revisions

==Clothing and Appearance==

In Packilvania, people are expected to dress modestly.

Women are usually expected to cover their heads with a headscarf. This can be in the form of a [[w:hijab|hijab]] (loose fitting scarf covering the head and shoulders but leaving the face exposed), [[w:niqab|niqab]] (a headscarf and opaque veil covering the entire face excluding the eyes) or a [[w:burqa|buraq]] (a headscarf and veil covering the entire face including the eyes with a thin mesh over the eyes to allow the woman to see). The hijab is an everyday headscarf that most women wear. The niqab is worn during very special occasions and religious rituals. The buraq is hardly worn anymore except by extremely religious and strict people. The hijab can be worn in a variety of styles: shemad (tightly wound around the head and neck), faliz (around the head but pinned in the front instead of tied or wound), harbiq (loosely wound around the head) or a sareeh (draped over the head leaving the neck and potentially shoulders exposed usually fastened to the head with a pin or hairband). Head and shoulder covering is mandatory in religious spaces but strongly encouraged for men.

The male equivalent of a headdress is a [[w:turban|turban]] (a tightly wound bundle of cloth that sits on top of the head). These are worn in highly formal events and men can sometimes put a bejeweled and elaborate pin on the front known an irsan which can be decorated with an ostrich feather as well. Men sometimes wear a separate cloth known as a [[w:shemagh|shemaq]] which covers the nose and mouth like a mask. It can range from aesthetic to functional. This can be due to heat or dust. Men also wear a looser variant of the turban which resembles a hijab but does not cover the neck known as a [[w:kufi|kufi]]. This is considered business formal to smart casual appropriate attire. A small cap known as a [[w:fez|fez]] is also quite common and is considered informal attire.

Womem in Packilvania usually wear an [[w:abaya|abaya]]. This is a class of floor length robes/dresses. The sleeved abaya is called a tarmouk while the sleeveless version is called a medayin. The abaya can be loose or form fitting or somewhere in between. A modern variant known as an upsarion is fitted at the bust and waist but loose as it goes down. Abayas are worn all the time. The style and decoration on the abaya will determine the formality of the event to which it is worn. A knee-length variant known as the rabyad exists which is worn as casual or working clothes.

A male variant of the abaya is called a [[w:thobe|thobe]]. This is knee length non-form fitting robe. It is worn on formal occasions. The [[w:kurtha|kurtha]] is a variant of the thobe that is worn as business formal to smart casual attire. Sometimes men wear a formal button-up shirt and a small jacket which can be sleeved or sleeveless and resemble a unbuttoned cropped waistcoat known as a [[w:Eton jacket|yahtun]]. Men normally wear [[w:harem pants|harem pants]] most of the time even under their thobe. Men are allowed to wear shorts in informal situations and when working. Women typically wear knee length skirts in informal situations. Unless explicitly required such as when working in a factory, hospital, or somewhere where significant physical exertion is required, women do not wear trousers or shorts.

Men in Packilvania do not typically put on make up or cosmetic products. Tattoos are not allowed for either gender and foreigners who have them are expected to cover them. Decorative temporary skin paint known as [[w:henna|hunan]] is applied usually to women and children. Some women put a red dot on their forehead known as a [[w:bindi|binid]]. Women do and can wear cosmetic products on their face. Facial fur is expected to be kept neat and short but there are no hard and fast rules.