HIJAB: FEMININE ALLURE AND CHARM TO MEN IN TUNIS

Abstract

This article examines a group of men in Tunis’s old city, and the ways they watch and interact with women. It focuses on the complicated relationship between hijab and desire. Contrary to common assumptions, hijab does not necessarily reduce sexual desire in men, which takes many forms. Which women the men find attrac-tive depends on context and the men’s social identity. What appears as a common expression of desire, calling to women on the street, is oriented toward reinforcing homosocial bonds. While they may not call out to women in hijab, many young Tunisian men flirt with them because they interpret hijab as a sign the young women are interested in marriage.