After this morning’s activities at Monwabisi Beach, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan separated for a couple of hours while Harry did a military event solo and Meghan went back to check on Archie and change her clothes for the next event. Here are Harry and Meghan arriving at the Auwal Mosque in the Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town.
As you can see, Meghan wore a head scarf for the visit to the mosque, which is a sign of respect for Islam. Personally, I would have loved to see Meghan do a low chignon hairstyle with the headscarf, because the idea of “respect” for Islamic traditions is that a woman’s hair should be covered – Meghan’s hair is still loose and visible from behind. It’s a nitpicky thing but if the goal is to show respect for the Muslim community while visiting a mosque, that should have been done right. Something that isn’t a big deal (though the royal reporters are trying) is that Meghan and Harry entered the mosque holding hands. They’re married, so it’s nothing.
As for Meghan’s dress… as I’m writing this, there’s been no fashion ID. The dress is love and covered up and yet it still looks appropriate for a warm day in Cape Town for whatever their next event is. I personally don’t like that shade of olive-khaki, but I’ll be honest: I used to have a couple of sweaters in that shade and I always got compliments when I wore them. Maybe Meg’s the same, and people have always told her that she looks great in olive. I mean, she doesn’t look BAD, but she has better colors. Oh: Meghan’s Mirror thinks the dress might be a bespoke Thebe Magugu. No confirmation yet.
They were met by Imam Sheikh Ismail Londt and Muslim community leader, Mohamed Groenwald. Inside they are being introduced to faith leaders and to view the first known manuscript of the Qu’ran in South Africa (which was drafted by an Imam from memory imprisoned on Robben Island). pic.twitter.com/q24QnHlrud
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) September 24, 2019
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I think her dress is awful. There’s so much of it that it looks like she pulled a tablecloth off a table and rolled up in it, And I don’t think the color does anything for her, Sorry, just my opinion.
The material looks water resistant and not breathable. Although roomy it doesn’t look comfortable. The color isn’t her most flattering either. She looks good, but the dress does her no favors.
Same here, this is a big mess. The material looks like 1980s parachute pants.
Not a fan of this at all. TOO MUCH material. Also, a wide belted “waist” does her no favors. If it was an unbelted shirtwaist, less skirt material, sure. It could work…maybe.
Right now, with a thicker waist/bigger boobs, it just looks too “claustrophobic” IMO.
The dress is too big for her. She looks so cinched at the waist because there is way too much fabric.
She’s going to a mosque, not walking down the red carpet. It’s not important that she looks fashionable or if the dress is too big. Her head wear is perfect, not too overdone to receive complaints from the cultural watchdogs and yet still showing respect.
What exactly is a dress chosen to visit a mosque supposed to do for her?
Like that’s the entire point, to cover up and not figure flatter.
I think some people just like to nitpick. Meghan looks lovely. Her purpose is to visit the historic mosque, and not to showcase her figure or outfit. Some people are forgetting that these tours are not fashion shows and vacations.
Thank you DS9. She’s not strutting the catwalk, she’s respecting their tradition and building bridges.
Thank you! I think she looks lovely and respectful.
No, you can cover up becomingly. This dress is bad., and I don’t think her hair looks good loose. I love her, but I can’t fib and say this is a good look.
I haven’t loved anything she’s worn on this tour so far, but I’m sincerely grateful, because it’s better for my credit cards this way!
But the bulk of the tour is still to come, so I’m sure I’ll end up buying at least a few things that I definitely don’t need but won’t be able to resist : )
IIRC, the host country has to pay for everything associated with the tour, including clothes. Wearing repeats and inexpensive items is a nice gesture on Meghan’s part.
This is not true. A host country for any royal tour does NOT cover royal clothing.
And ONLY countries in the commonrealms (not independent Republican nations like SA) cover royal travel in country.
I agree, her clothes have been a snooze fest for me. She always looks pretty, but I’ve been very underwhelmed by her clothes thus far.
I am also petite and I cannot wear big voluminous dresses and shirts or big patterns without being swallowed by it
I think this is the dress but I could be wrong:
https://www.net-a-porter.com/au/en/product/1225592/lisa_marie_fernandez/rosetta-belted-linen-maxi-dress
Nope. Not the dress. The dress she is wearing is a shirt dress with a collar, buttons and a notched belt. It also has pockets on the chest.
Per People Magazine:
Meghan changed from a casual outfit (including a denim jacket) into an olive green maxi dress made of recycled tissue nylon by STAUD. She added a cream-colored headscarf for the mosque visit.
https://staud.clothing/collections/dress
This is the dress:
https://twitter.com/sloaneranger_/status/1176573175657725952?s=21
Would have been nice if she just wore a nice little suit in a nice color, more traditional royal look. o one expects her to go full on modest dress in that sack for this visit. Not liking her looks for this trip so far, and I generally love her style. Bland on bland. Harry looks pretty good but very very bald.
There are amazing pictures of the Queen back in the day wearing a floor length gold embroidered kaftan and a hat, with a scarf covering the hat (sort of like what women wore in the days of open cars to keep their hats from flying off) also gloves. There is huge royal precedent for visiting Islamic sites in dress considered appropriate by the community.
I’m sure she was told to wear something loose fitting and long so as not to offend. A “nice little suit” would have been tone deaf and not appropriate for the occasion. She wasn’t going to a tea but a mosque.
A suit?! She sat cross legged on the floor of the mosque. Not to mention the disrespect of wearing something form fitting in a mosque? I can’t with comments like this. 😂
The thing about nit picky comments with Meg is …. she’s already dealing with so much criticism that comes from such an ugly place. It’s not that you’re wrong in feeling like she should have pulled her hair back, but when she’s been slammed for breathing by the press, it just kind of gets a shrug from me.
She’s thoughtful and considerate of other cultures and has specifically picked projects in the UK to benefit minority communities. All things considered, she’s fine.
I agree! I’m trying to be fair though – if Kate’s hair had been flying around while she visited a mosque, I would say the same as I did here.
Kaiser has been saying this for a while, and I totally agree. The smearing of Meghan has been so horrific and so constant for so long now that it effectively scares anyone from saying ANYTHING that could possibly be construed as negative— even if it’s coming from someone like Kaiser, who clearly adores Meghan, or many of us here who also love her. I’ve even seen people reprimanded for saying, “I love Meghan, but…” when that sentiment is actually TRUE in many cases, like mine.
There are a few times recently that I think she (or Harry) have made missteps, but I’m too scared to voice it here or on Twitter because there will be an instant pile-on from her defenders. Which is unfair because my thoughts and comments about her are 99% positive. Because I do genuinely adore her! It’s sad but that’s the way it is lately so it’s easier to just keep my mouth shut most of the time.
As far as this particular engagement goes, I’m sure she consulted with whoever she needed to in order to make sure she’s dressed completely appropriately for this visit.
Yeah, it is hard to criticize Meghan, especially on twitter lol, since all she gets is criticism from the press for really stupid things. But, I do think there are some valid criticisms even here – I just think that most people start their critique with “I love Meghan BUT” and I admit that I just roll my eyes bc often what follow the “BUT” is something stupid like “she needs to learn to follow protocol” or something.
I much prefer people just say what they mean. If someone doesn’t like what she is wearing, then just say it.
I like the dress Meghan is wearing but not on her as it does nothing for her.
I think it’s unfair to criticize Meghan for not covering her hair completely. When I went Dubai I never covered my head and neither did most Westerners. The only time I did was when I went to Mosques and I had hair showing. Other tourists didn’t have any covering at all. I think it’s preferred but not required. Besides if you watch videos and photos of other tourists most don’t have their hair completely covered. Just another “Meghan isn’t following protocall” complaint.
Exactly this. And it’s not actually an accurate criticism. Her hair cover is fine. I’m a Muslim woman and if she were saying prayer THEN she would be requires to cover her hair completely. I see nothing wrong with her scarf. She’s being respectful and I applaud her for that.
Thanks for letting us know what is proper, Valiantly.
I think she looks fine and respectful.
I am not Muslim, but I have worn headscarves in MENA and I found putting my hair in a bun made the scarf look a lot nicer because it gives it some shape.
I’m also muslim.
While there is nothing disrespectful in her outfit , then is also nothing praiseworthy either. She’s just thrown a scarf over her head rather awkwardly. I dont expect a non muslim woman to wear a hijab to enter the mosque as a tourist, but as an official visiting, i think a little bit of effort would have looked nicer. Even just tying her hair back and draping the scarf a little more gracefully.
I’m an agnostic but some of the people in my family are Muslim. I think the way she covered is fine. It’s alright for women of color and to some extent, women in general, to strike a reasonable balance between respect for other religions and cultures and their own boundaries as women too. I’m in equal support of both sides of this issue- women covering their hair and women not covering their hair.
I think she struck a nice balance as well. She showed respect without completely changing herself.
ITA Holly! Plus, you know all of this is sensitive and would be choreographed with the venue well in advance. If there was any chance that she was planning on wearing the scarf in a way that the imam or others could have viewed as inappropriate, that would already have been addressed, weeks ago if not in the car on the way there.
I really like that dress.
Her post-pregnancy style is a little off, but I think her body shape is hard to dress with the extra weight. I don’t mean this in a mean way because I think she’s beautiful, but I’ve really never seen someone with such a boxy torso. It must be challenging to work with.
I was thinking the same thing, in some clothes she looks so skinny (those trousers and blouse at launch last week, for example), an in something like this – so different.
She looks beautiful either way, it’s just – I started to think more about my proportions and how the clothes I wear compliment it.
I thought the same thing, she has a morphology in M, which is a morphology very difficult to dress because these people are very square at the shoulders and torso but very thin at the hips and legs. So we have to balance the silhoutte, what the Suits stylist maked succeeds in doing but the person who helped her in her clothing choices since she became royal did not seem to understand this problems because Meghan wearing a lot of clothes who didn’t corresponding to her morphology. For me this dress is not ugly but would have been better on a person like Karlie Kloss because she is taller and more sleeker than Meghan.
Her shape is a lot like Angelina Jolie’s to me. Really thin limbs with a thicker midsection (relative to their arms and legs, not compared to the average woman!) They look much thinner when their arms and legs are exposed or in form-fitting pieces.
The discussion of Meghan’s body in this thread is very disturbing. The taking her apart limb by limb and the borderline body shaming is appalling. If people were very disturbed and outraged when William was bald shamed by Lowe, arguing that it is something William can’t change, why is it okay for Meghan to be taken apart in the same way that outraged people when it was William? Is it because she is a woman and therefore is fair game because people hide behind critiquing what she’s wearing,? And don’t even get me started on the post up there about how Harry would look good if he wasn’t so bald.
@Taneesha I’m not seeing the nastiness that you seem to be w/r/t Meghan in this thread? We’re just discussing her body type and why certain clothes look better than others.
Kate has a very long torso so it’s a topic of conversation in many of the posts covering her, and I myself have a long torso and short legs so I appreciate hearing from others what cuts look better on different body types. It’s not a personal failing on my part that I happened to be born with a long torso/short legs and the same goes for Meghan, so I don’t see commenting on things like this as “shaming,” just discussion on a forum which literally exists for discussions like this — and not every comment is “shaming,” which has such a negative connotation.
This is a post about a dress Meghan wore, so people are commenting on the dress, their opinions of it, and the fit. I agree there are an appalling number of nasty comments directed at Meghan online in general, mostly in places like the Fail and Twitter, but it seems like oversensitivity in this instance. We’re all just commenting and giving our opinions. I don’t see any bashing or need for such defensiveness.
I mean, I’m not a fan of this particular dress, but I still think Meghan looks beautiful and as I said elsewhere, I’m sure she consulted with whoever she needed to in order to make sure she was appropriately dressed for this visit, which she was. (FWIW I think her hair looked fine. She’s smart enough to research beforehand so she knows exactly what to do in such situations. IMHO)
@taneesha
I hope you never venture on a kate post where everything from her maniacal smile to her “worrying” skinniness, to her bad posture, and her wrinkly, saggy skin is discussed.
I have almost her exact body type. I was super small before I had kids and am still petite afterwards, but my torso is…..just weird for lack of a better term. It is hard to dress and I’m not in the public eye. I’m a small person, but certain cuts just look odd and make my waist look wider than I think I really am. I carried my babies just like she did too…..SUPER high up in my ribcage. I felt for her because that was so uncomfortable the last month or so. Now if I could also have her beautiful features that’d be great. Lol!
I think she’s only 4 months post-partum, right? I had issues dressing for a year after each kid. My torso was also boxy because my stomach was just a complete mess. Nothing fit right. I can’t imagine being a public figure at that point in my life.
As an aside, God must be a man because, after 10 months of carrying around 40 pounds, my body (at least my legs and butt) should have been jacked. But no. It’s all cellulite, mush, and vericose veins.
A very strong strain of gossip on two other sites is that Meghan is pregnant again.
@BayTampaBay – yesterday, I was defending the “boxy torso” theory. Today, I think she’s pregnant. Cute little belly popping!
And I don’t mean that in any mean girl way, she is absolutely gorgeous and the loveliest of humans, IMHO. It just kindof looks like … she could be.
You’ve never seen someone with such a boxy torso?? Talk about blatant mean girl comments…
I think it’s because her legs are so long. Cara Delevinge and Cameron Diaz are pretty boxy too. My grandmother was the same way and she loved it. She always said jeans fit her better because she didn’t lose the hips to waist ratio like so many struggle with in finding well fitting jeans. She could put anything on and look amazing.
And being boxy is not a criticism not something to be ashamed of ffs. Some women are boxy and it’s totally okay, it’s not a negative thing about someone’s body and not something we should shy away from discussing. Big yikes.
You sound like she’s some freak of nature. I have the exact same shape – boxy torso, high-waisted, narrow hips and long slender legs. It’s tough to wear certain styles but she seems to work with it well. She’s wearing something that respects Muslim tradition to meet with the Imam and community leaders and that’s all that matters, she’s not there to wow people with her fashion choices.
Muslim woman here. Her hair cover is fine. She simply needs her head covered while entering the Mosque. If she were Muslim and saying prayer then her entire head would need to be covered.
Thank you for the clarification here!
Thanks for explaining!
Thank you for your explanation. It seems many of us need to consult with people who actually know about these customs instead of giving our opinions on whether something is appropriate or not.
WORD.
It really depends on the country and culture I guess. In Singapore, non Muslim visitors can visit mosques without the entire hair covered. And as a Muslim, for me personally at least, I feel we don’t have to impose such things on non Muslims. There is no compulsion in religion. Some Muslims/ religions forget that. She does look a bit messy here, so a better fitted headscarf or some pins for that scarf would have made her look less flustered. I don’t wear the hijab outside of the mosque and I take a long time trying to style one or style a long scarf. I gave up and bought an instant hijab for myself.
I’m Muslim as well. I do believe when entering mosques it’s simply culturally respectful to cover one’s head. But I also think it’s unnecessary to nitpick a non-Muslim woman’s head covering. It was respectful of her to do so but she isn’t a Muslim and she isn’t there to say prayer where she would need to cover her entire head.
Why is it only women who must cover their hair?
Thank you VV. I am not Muslim. I remembered as a child, that women and girls always covered their head before entering a church. Little girls and most older women wore hats. Pre teen and teenagers wore a lace headpiece that we called mantilla. The mantillas were either black during solemn season, and white/ivory other times.
@ChillyWilly iIn prayer both men and women cover their hair. Men SHOULD be covering their hair just as women do.
Chillywilly trust me that’s one of the struggles I have with my religion. I always joke men are scared of our hair (admittedly I am in a position to joke). Muslim men have to cover their hair while praying, in some countries/cultures. In Singapore and Malaysia, generally no.
That’s not our religion though. It’s the people within it. Ive learned a long time ago to separate the two.
Alexandria, I guess it’s like that with most religions. I am agnostic and never belonged to a particular religion so it’s hard for me to understand. I have lots of qualms about Christian religions as well. Thank you for not acusing me of being an Islamaphobe and commenting with kindness and humor!
Honest question, if both men and women are supposed to cover their hair when they pray, what do bald men and women do? Is the idea that one covers the head AND any and all hair that grows out of it, or is very specifically just about covering the hair? Since bald men and women have no hair, is it acceptable to not wear a head covering? Or do they still wear head covering because it’s about the head+hair?
@Amy Too. Yes they are still required to cover their heads. I shaved my head last May and I still covered my head when I prayed. The point of head covering during prayer is actually to make all equal in the eyes of God. It’s not actually about the hair itself.
I think this could be a case where the true color of the dress isn’t accurately represented in the digital image. it seems like its a very unusual color ( one I love- ugly colors are super trendy right now) which may look amazing on her in person but it just doesn’t read in photos. Either way I love the color, agree with the comment about too much fabric. I feel like this is a dress for a taller woman.
This is a dress for me! LOL! LOL!
It looks like the dress she wore to Harry’s s[porting match. This dress is belted, though? Archie, Kate and her kids were also present.
I love that she is willing to wear green, I love it.
I was thinking the same thing. I really liked that dress because it looked super comfortable. I’m glad, assuming it’s the same one, to see it worn in a different way. I’m also partial to olive green.
It is not the same dress. I found this out on another site.
@valiantly – thanks for explaining. I’m glad to know she’s not being rude.
She is definitely respectful here. It’s just that from personal opinion, a headscarf that is not pinned down is bothersome to me when I’m at the mosque so I don’t know if it’s distracting her during work. If she’s not bothered at this event, then that’s good.
I don’t think the dress is doing her any favors but then again she is not claiming to be a fashion icon and wants the focus to be on her work and not what she is wearing. So you keep doing you Meghan.
Amen to that royal blue! She’s not there to entertain & impress with a fashion show ffs. She is doing an excellent job drawing attention to causes & is truly in her element
Very impressed thus far with what she’s said & how she’s conducted herself – sincere & enthusiastic
Agree, everything doesn’t have to be a fashion statement. Sometimes clothes are just clothes. And maybe she just wanted something conservative to wear.
You make a good point, I will bear this in mind for posts on other royal family members, as well.
I hope they enjoy the food in the Bo Kaap, Cape Malay cuisine is the best!
I’m not loving this dress. But I do love the color on her, that green makes her glow. I think she looks good in the khaki colors!
I really think she should have made more of an effort to pull some more hair back and cover it, mostly because with just the cover and her hair all long down her back the scarf looks like an afterthought and that’s not what you want to go for when respecting other peoples culture.
You have quite a few Muslim women on here stating that Meghan is dressed appropriately and that her head scarf is fine for the occassion. She is being respectful to the culture.
M –
Good point.
But to clarify, I wasnt saying she was being disrespectful, i dont think that. I think that it looks like an afterthought.
I agree w you cidy. Even though she’s not being disrespectful, it looks a bit messy. Would have looked neater if her hair was tied w a ponytail holder or up in a bun. Messy is ok for us, but in her position she is representing, she should have made it a little messy looking.
I….don’t think I like the dress. At all. But I’ll wait and see how it looks when we can see the whole thing (if she takes the scarf off for other events.)
Re: her hair, I imagine that she would have been told what was expected of her for the visit. That’s the kind of visit where someone on their team is going to make sure that they are paying proper respect and that there aren’t any errors. So I imagine for a visitor she is probably okay.
@Becks ITA. I have no idea what the proper protocol is here, but we know enough by now to know she absolutely would have done her research and did whatever was appropriate in a situation like this!
I like it a lot in the photo where it seems like they’re in the shade, and she’s got her head tilted and is smiling at the man in the blue. Without harsh lighting, it’s a lot nicer looking – I think the sun mixed with really high def cameras is giving the fabric a weird almost optical illusion. Like I’d 100% buy that dress based on that photo I referenced – but if I only saw the outside photos it’d be a hard pass.
I never noticed before how bald Harry has become. I’m sure the RRs will find a way to blame that on Meghan!
“Palace Sources say Harry is tearing his hair out over Meghan’s fashion choices”
Ha! Careful or the Daily Mail will try to hire you!
LOLOLOL! You read it here first!
I like the overall idea of the dress but it seems like she is swimming in it. I hope she has help with all her wardrobe choices because it is hard as *F* to figure out clothes that fit and also find them when you are exhausted from having a new baby. You just want to wear a fleece muumuu everywhere, at least I did.
I think Meghan looks beautiful and appropriate. Not everything is about fashion. The history of this mosque is what’s most important. It seems Harry and Meghan are trying to put the focus on the people and causes and not what they are wearing.
Also, some of you are just a little too obsessed with Meghan’s body.
All day this.
I cannot be assed to parse the fit of a dress worn to visit a religious building where conservatism and modesty are given such weight. Nor am I futzing over a headscarf she’ll take off later.
This outfit is appropriate to the location and isn’t a gazillion dollars and won’t show her ass. All gravy.
Exactly this. This isn’t the proper occasion for a fashion show. What she is wearing is appropriate and respectful.
Well said. She’s dressed to please the Muslim community, out of respect for them and their religion. If they’re okay with it, then mission accomplished!
Agree @M. I am also a little grossed out by the forensic-type analysis of all of Meghan’s body parts, their size and shape, that has been prevalent in many of the posts here about the trip so far. It just seems very reductive -and even inadvertantly misogynistic- for others to obsess over her ‘post-baby body’.
Yes to all of this.
If Harry was stuck in some mandatory headgear as well then maybe I’d agree she should have been more careful with her hair. But considering it’s an obligation placed only on her for no reason other than her sex? Nah. A nod to it for the sake of politeness is all that’s necessary.
Men are required in Isam to cover their hair during prayer as well. But thanks for the thinly veiled Islamaphobic comment.
Call it islamaphobia if you like, I know it isn’t the case. I’m generally pretty disdainful of any religious tradition (not just Islam) that has different rules and requirements for women and men. Most religion is just a pointless delay of social and scientific progress based on little more than superstition.
It is. But hey whatever you need to justify it in your own mind. Next time why not simply try out being respectful and see how that feels.
There’s no need to be respectful of ANY religious rule that requires men and women to do things differently. Should we all be respectful of quiverful religions that require women to be nothing more than breeding vessels? Probably not. But I’m not royalty so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@Gina did you actually READ my comment?? I stated both women AND men are required to cover their heads. So your comment makes no sense.
@margedebarge: very well said and I 100% agree with you.
@Elisa and margedebarge: You’re taking on an entire religion because Meghan is showing respect and putting on a headscarf and Harry doesn’t have to? Aren’t there worse things in the world to bring to light than a headscarf? I respect a woman’s (or man’s) right to choose their religion and how they express it. That’s not to say that mandatory niqabs or chadors are acceptable to me and it does reflect an imbalance between the sexes. However turning Meghan’s respectful gesture into some huge fail for feminism is wrong. Their trip is about building common ground.
Margedebarge I get your point. I wouldn’t wear ankle length denim, a “modern modest“ Polo and crunchy curls to meet the Duggars. I wouldn’t wear a wig in Israel because some sects consider it mandatory. I skipped a church in Spain because the gate keeper said my knee length skirt was too short and I needed to wrap a length of cloth around my waist. Meanwhile men in shorts were allowed in. It’s not any religion phobic to call out misogynistic cultural practices that are usually not even religious tenets at all but vary by sect and culture.
@aang – yep. Agree.
I don’t mind the dress! She just seems so well-spoken and kindhearted that I can’t be bothered to criticize her clothing choices (although I know some are here for the clothes and would like a bit more, no shade). I think it’s also probably handy to nurse in with the buttons/wrap on these dresses. Not sure if that’s a consideration for her.
I think it’s a nice dress…totally in her wheelhouse. It would probably look better with heels due to the length. But she looks nice & respectful.
All of her dresses have been frump. Ugly and frumpy. She needs a better dress game for this trip.
And I would say this dress is frump no matter who wore it because I cannot imagine anyone looking good in that.
She’s visiting a mosque. I’m sure she was advised to wear something loose fitting and long so she would not offend her hosts and the other worshippers. It’s not a fashion event. And all her clothes have been nice and age appropriate.
So, I love Meghan but I gotta nitpick here. I’ve lived in the Middle East for years (recently moved back to the US) and there would be multiple issues. Hair should be up and completely covered and also arms should be covered. Long sleeves are a must. As far as the handholding, it wouldn’t be allowed in a mosque for normal people. She might have adjusted the headscarf once inside since that is where it is more of a necessity. When I would go into mosques (Christian but I’ve gone in for various reasons), the imam was very clear about what we would wear (and keep in mind that men are also expected to be covered).
The Middle East is also incredible repressive and regressive in their thoughts on these things. And I wouldn’t use them as the litmus test to how things should or shouldn’t be done. And I am saying this as a Muslim woman. She isn’t in the Middle East. She’s in South Africa and every culture IS different. As a Muslim woman I feel the way she is dressed is fine as a non-Muslim woman visiting a Mosque. I highly doubt she didn’t find out beforehand what was or wasn’t okay at THIS particular Mosque.
Except that several Muslim women have weighed in and say she’s dressed perfectly appropriately. So try again. Also I’m thinking of pics of Kate, Camilla, Diana etc at mosques and don’t they all do this loose scarf look? It’s always struck me as non-Muslim women nodding to the cultural norms and religious expectations but still not Muslim themselves. I think that’s fair.
I think this varies depending on culture. I was in Bosnia recently, and Muslim women there did not always cover their arms, and most of them do not cover their hair except when they go to the mosque. When I visited the mosque with a few other women, both Muslim and non-Muslim, the imam’s wife was at the door, smiled, and just pantomimed for us to put the hoods of our rain jackets up; some of the mosques in Sarajevo have scarves at the entrance for visitors, but this was out in a small town, so they did not have them, hence the allowance of jacket hoods. Now when I was in Morocco, I was told non-Muslims were not supposed to enter the mosques at all. So as in most things, it depends.
I dont generally cover my hair at all except when praying. Hijab is not a requirement – despite what even some Muslim women think and say. It states pretty clearly in the Qur’an to cover one’s hair in prayer – and it’s addressed to both women AND men. But there is no passage stating this is requires in day to day life. Modest dressing is requires and again – that is addressed to men and women.
I did not realize the Muslim world was a monolith where every Muslim from Turkey, to Pakistan, to Saudi Arabia, to Detroit to Indonesia all adhere to the same standards, huh.
They don’t all adhere to the same standards. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, women have to be covered up in the niqab or chador, in other countries a simple headscarf suffices.
Muslims in the Middle East are way more regressive and conservative than in non-Middle Eastern countries.
Because you know so many of them to make such a broad blanket comment like this, right??
The Middle East is much more strict in the way women must dress. It’s not a “one size fits all” religious requirement, it varies from country to country.
Okay wow, first of all at all the arab-phobia comments here.
Second of all, the Middle East isn’t not a uniform place.
Third of all, it depends which mosque you are wearing and how conservative the muslims there are. Sufis mosques are completely different.
And how repressive the Middle East is often does not have much to do with religion. Apart from the gulf, most Middle Eastern dictators were seculars or socialist. Moreover, it is completely unfair to levy criticism because since 2011, people across the middle east have been protesting, demonstrating and demanding a change to the dictatorships.
Signed,
A Middle Easterner.
@whitecat who is a Middle Easterner:
I had a couple of friends who traveled the Middle East for 3 months. My friends absolutely loved Jordan.
She may be dressed appropriately, but her dress is fug…
Loose trousers and a tunic would have worked just as well. That dress is just not a good look. They seem to be highlighting more serious issues and causes this trip, really engaged, and have a good rapport with their hosts and each other, so I’ll stop with fashion criticism. Also happy to see her moving on from the wedges and switching to cute flats.
Im sure she a) was given the memo of what is and is not ok to dress and b)if they did have a problem with it, Im sure she would have changed and covered her hair/head more. They likely didnt have a problem wit it, so why should we?
Many Muslim and Jewish women cover their hair to different degrees. I see no problem with this. It’s mostly covered as a symbolic sign of respect. She’s fine.
That is such an ugly tent dress, she can do so much better. She really needs to hire a stylist already.
She’s not going to fashion week. She is wearing something that is culturally appropriate and respectful to enter a mosque and meet with the Imam.
So far her clothes on this tour seems not too flash or crazy expensive and they seem practical and fits the purpose. In the end, she’s here to draw attention to the causes and her actions rather than flying skirts or her fashion choices.
There may be different rules for mosques, but I feel like this is where her advisers can try to be more conservative in their decisions and not put her up for potential criticism – particulatry when navigating tricky issues such as this. It feels like this is something that could be easily avoided and is not the wisest idea considering that people are throwing her under the bus whenever they can.
I hope they can do better
How do you know they didn’t check ahead of time what is appropriate? And she’s criticised for the food she eats, she’d be criticised no matter how she wrapped her hair.
There are several Muslim women on this board who’ve stated repeatedly that she’s completely appropriate. She’s fine. It’s only an issue to the people who want something else to bitch about and they’d find that whether or not it was with this.
The only people who are complaining are the people who think they know everything about other cultures/ religions. Some of you are completely ignoring the Muslim women commenting on this site who are saying that Meghan is dressed appropriately. There is nothing to criticize. How are you all more offended than actual Muslims?
From a fashion point of view I don’t like the dress but from an engagement point of view she’s supposed to be covered up and not draw attention to her body. I think that’s what she was going for.
Had she worn this let’s say front row of NYFW I would absolutely hate it.
I am Capetonian and have lived here most of my life. The city has a storied and historical Muslim population. Muslim women here wear full veil to headscarf to no scarf at all, there are no specific “rules” or requirements. Megan looks perfectly appropriate for a Cape Town mosque, no need to be covered completely as in some more conservative Muslim countries.
The local people have loved having them here and participating in city life. They seem to be having a great time learning about our heritage and history!
Thanks for sharing. It’s great hearing from someone on the ground.
Thank you @Valiantly Varnished for informing us about what is appropriate for a non-Muslim woman to wear when visiting a mosque. I’m sure that Meghan’s team checked with several Muslim experts before she visited the mosque.
I think the dress is nice. I wasn’t sure about the bare arms but if VV says it’s okay, then it’s okay.
You folks realize that visiting a mosque is not the place to have a fashion moment. She’s appropriately covered up as to not offend.
Not very covered though
She’s showing arms and chest and lots of hair
It’s easy to show less hair than that and the way she did her hair looks messy. Anyways, it’s a nice dress and it’s nice they went there. Better to go and learn than not go, no matter what you wear.
Several Muslim women have chimed in that she is properly dressed. Everyone in the same “denomination ” doesn’t worship the same besides she is NOT muslim so she does NOT have to cover her hair if she doesn’t want to. I remember that Michelle Obama chose not to wear a head covering doing the same kind of visit. Police yourselves, she does have advance people, stop looking for a reason to pick at someone.
I think she is downplaying clothes and focusing on the work. In addition, it makes little sense to spend a lot of money on clothes right after pregnancy. Trying to get precise fitting is a waste right now. And, so far we have not seen the engagement ring. Their MO is different for the type of work they will be doing. Their constituents are commonwealth youth who are less impressed with the stuffy airs of the monarchy and the hierarchical protocol of most visits by BRF.
Wish she would have worn long sleeves and covered her hair even if the front of her hair was showing as a sign of respect for entering a mosque. I am Muslim this would have been a huge sign of respect.
what about Harry covering his head?
Exactly @Eliza not a word about Harry unless he was given something when he went in the mosque. And as far as Meg covering her arms, maybe she was given something to cover her arms when she went inside? Someone upthread said that some mosques have scarves for visitors. All the pictures I’ve seen are outside in the parking lot so maybe she readjusted once she got inside. Is that not allowed ?
Men do not have to cover there heads or their arms. When I go to the mosque and a non-Muslim attends I don’t think it is a big deal if their head scarf is not covered properly or if their sleeves are not covered. I don’t fault Meghan, overall this is not disrespectful.
@Ty several people upthread have said men are required to cover their heads. So if there is no consensus among Muslims or it varies from mosque or sect then why give grief to an outsider? And I’m not coming after you btw, just pointing out what others have said.
Agreed. I’m also muslim.
Her scarf is thrown a little haphazardly as if it was an afterthought rather than a scheduled visit that required a planned outfit.
There is nothing disrespectful in her outfit, and nothing to be outraged over, but not much thought was put into it.
The loose fit is fine, but it would have been better with longer sleeves, and tied back hair.
That’s a whole lot of dress but the color is good for her.
It’s a perfectly appropriate look for the occasion. People forget that most events on these tours are not meant for displaying fashion. State dinners and similar evening functions? Sure. A visit to a mosque? Absolutely not.
Her face is always so lovely and gorgeous. Not a big fan of that dress but mainly it’s the color I hate, I think nobody really looks good in this green (and I have green eyes and look good in ALL greens but not this one either).
I’m torn on this. On the one hand, if her intent was to show respect to the mosque, then it’s a fail — there is too much hair showing for it to be respectful, and her arms should be covered. But if she was trying to sneak in a little bit of rebelliousness (because, for example, maybe she thinks Islam is discriminatory against women), then it’s a win. So I guess it depends on what her intent was, which we don’t know. I’d like to think it was a message that she shouldn’t *have* to cover up differently than her husband, rather than simply being ill prepared.
Several. SEVERAL Muslim women on this board have stated many times over that she’s appropriately dressed. The Muslim world is not a monolith. What is done in one region or country is not done in others. Not all Muslim women cover their arms completely. This policing needs to stop.
And to be honest, you stating that you prefer her intent to be rebellious rather than respectful is FAR more offensive than her hair hanging out.
It not a “fail” at least not on Meghan’s part. If it was a requirement then someone should have told her you must wear long sleeves to the wrist and your hair cannot show. Evidently no one told her that so how is it a “fail”? I live in an area in the US with a large Muslim population. I see women dressed differently with the hijab, the veil, head to toe in black. And some wear only western clothing with no head covering. As an outsider you don’t know what is proper so you would rely on someone to tell you what is correct to wear.
@Mrs.K,
It appears that you and Ty didn’t read the comments posted before yours. As Mrs Banjo stated, several people, to include one from SA, said the Duchess of Sussex was appropriately covered for this mosque visit. Also, others noted that not all Muslim communities require the same level of conservative dress. WRT to some of the comments similar to yours, I honestly think it must cause some people mental anguish not to nitpick and criticize the DoS for any reason they can think of. I doubt the DoS got up this morning with the question “What will the gossipers and tabloid readers think of my clothes?” on her mind rather than making she sure was presentable to an imam and his place of worship.
I like that she’s very small, professional, down-to-earth on this tour. Love repeats. Very likeable.
To be honest her style seems off to me. She’s so pretty and she chooses outfits that don’t flatter her. It might be pregnancy but also a bad stylist. Usually on her very first days on tours she really did deliver.
I like the dress, but then I like most of the things she wears. Very few I don’t like.
I hate that dress with a passion the material the style and the colour. And I also really dislike the blue shirt dress she wore earlier that day. They all seem to have too much material and end up swamping her. I liked the stripey one on her because it fitted her better.
Personally I couldn’t think of anything worse than having to be on the world stage 4 months after giving birth though let alone with all the scrutiny and criticism of her body that she gets so I’d probably be be living in tent dresses and muumus!
It is Meghan’s style: oversized and not tailored to her waist and such. She thinks she looks tiny-er when she wears oversized stuff.
In my opinion showing respect is perhaps dressing nicely and perhaps not showing too much skin. But I disagree with the dress cause it really looks like those huge dresses which are worn by devout muslim women who cover everything. She ain’t muslim so why can’t she wear non-muslim clothes respectfully? Nobody suggests a deep decolletage or a waist-high slit in the skirt. But surely the usual dresscode for day-wear for royal females isn’t offensive to muslims?
@Carla if she had dressed the usual way it would be considered disrespectful to her Muslim hosts. She was visiting them, not the other way around. Form fitting clothing would not have been appropriate.
I really like the blue shirt dress. Think it looks good on her and live the color. Regardless of what we think, she picked those pieces and planned what she was going to wear for each occasion. Don’t think she does things last minute or haphazardly.
The dress looked fine in the video. Perhaps it doesn’t photograph well?
Tentdress.
I’ve read that form fitting dresses are also not respectful. She is not meant to be wearing hijab, her hair is covered much the way many religions ask women to do. I covered my hair similarly, until the rules changed.
She looks glowing with happiness, just wonderful. Can’t wait to see what she wears next!
100+ comments I haven’t read through but I did not like this look. The dress is unflattering. The scarf and hair combo looked sloppy/rushed in an unnecessary way.
Now going back to read and catch up
Meghan detractors have had a difficult 2 days….and there’s still more to come. At a time when leaders of the UK and US have put their personal ambitions ahead of there respective countries it’s nice to see this couple at this time spread joy and love. There is so much symbolism in this union at this time in history….if you table your hate for a second, you will see it too.
They are grasping at straws. This tour has been amazing so far, and we’ve only just finished day #2. The detractors can only nitpick at dresses and hairstyles, while the people who have met Harry and Meghan are happy and appreciative.
She’s looking very fresh faced and beautiful in SA. I don’t like the dress but apparently it’s by Staud & made of recycled tissue nylon.
She’s doing rewears from the Australasia tour etc but I would have thought that would be a win seeing as there’s always talk about her spending too much on clothes?
Well as a Muslim, even though I would not impose to wear the headscarf because of us, in fact I respect her. I respect How she wore a scarf to respect Muslim culture and religion and the feelings of so many people. I truly appreciate her doings and she looks gorgeous. No matter what anyone says, but looks stunning in that all covered and pretty in that headscarf.
She in my home town, the weather was weird yesterday, I think it thrown her 🙂
The wind was almost gale force as it can only be in Cape Town! So good for her to even be venturing outside!