The politics of marriage have always been a hot button topic in the Gulf. And today a trending hashtag brought a more cosmopolitan flavour to the debate – by asking tweeters if the ideal wife could ever be a foreign woman.
The contributions to the debate came thick and fast, with tweeters split over the merits of foreign girls versus those of women back home.
#الاجنبيه_الزوجه_المثاليه
— تركي السدحان (@t_sd7n) 17 August 2016
مافيه مثل بنت بلدك هي اللي تخاف عليك وتصونك ولا تخونك
There’s nothing like a woman from your country. She’ll worry about you, preserve you, and not cheat on you.
السعوديات اخلاق وجمال وطبخ
— حمد (@rko711) 17 August 2016
اتمنى اتزوج سعوديه حبيبكم من الامارات #الاجنبيه_الزوجه_المثاليه
I’d like to marry a Saudi woman. -Your friend from the UAE
Some Tweets got specific about the very particular (and stereotypical to an offensive degree) merits of Saudi women.
وش فيهن بناتنا ي راعي التاق ؟ #الاجنبيه_الزوجه_المثاليه pic.twitter.com/nUx9urnWwA
— Mr.Ibram (@Ibram_99) 17 August 2016
To whoever made the hashtag: What’s wrong with Saudi women?
Some women took a demeaning view of others from outside Saudi, and the men that wanted to pursue them.
#الاجنبيه_الزوجه_المثاليه
— Sarah. (@Sara199m) 17 August 2016
أساساً معروف ان السعودي ماياخذ اجنبية الا اذا كان مليان عيوب ومالقى من ترضى فيه
Basically, it’s well known that a Saudi man doesn’t marry a foreign woman unless he’s filled with issues and can’t find someone to deal with him.
Other tweeters took a more philosophical approach, providing a voice of reason in what otherwise was a somewhat demeaning and not especially self reflective conversation.
#الاجنبيه_الزوجه_المثاليه
— السيد. أنــا (@MR_ltd1984) 17 August 2016
maybe
maybe not
it's depends
While others suggested a different kind of reality dose – one that some of those contributing to the conversation might not have been entirely thrilled to read.
#الاجنبيه_الزوجه_المثاليه هل الاجنبيه بتترك الاشقر والمعظل وتاخذ ابو كرشه ست طبقات وشفايفه سوداء من الدخاخين؟ ماظنيته /p>— رهّف. (@IIXR88) 17 August 2016
Will the foreigner leave the blonde and and the muscular to go and marry a big bellied fat guy with lips black from all the smoking? I don’t think so.
So is the ideal wife foreign? The jury’s out. And before attempting to answer, some of Saudi’s tweeters might want to consider some deeper questions about women and marriage anyway.
