Pelosi scarves a diplomatic accessory - Yahoo! News

Pelosi scarves a diplomatic accessory - Yahoo! News: "RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) kept a diplomatic fashion accessory on hand throughout a recent Mideast tour — an array of colorful scarves draped around her neck, ready to be pulled over her hair when Islamic custom required. As it turned out, Pelosi needed to cover her head only once, when she visited a historic mosque in Damascus. She slipped a silky white scarf with yellow flowers over her head and tied it under her chin as she entered the Omayyad Mosque on Tuesday. She also pulled a black abaya robe, decorated with a gold-colored band across the front, over her lime-green pantsuit. Female dignitaries visiting Mideast countries have to keep dress in mind in a way men don't. When out in public, particularly at religious sites, women politicians take care not to offend while trying to avoid cumbersome outfits. In official settings it's less of a concern — no one expects Western women politicians to dress differently than they do at home. In Saudi Arabia, the Mideast country with the strictest rules on female dress, Pelosi wore her flowered scarf loosely around her neck. It remained just a subtle accessory as she visited the country's version of a legislature, the unelected Consultative Council."