Saudi nationals have >accomplished a great deal in the last decade, particularly their youth. To recognize these successes we need to break out of the mould of stereotyping.
It's time we stopped seeing social media posts like this:
1. Sandboarding everyday
From green mountains, to modern cities, to the Red Sea coast, >Saudi Arabia is definitely more than just and expanse of sand dunes. Time to get with the program.
2. The burqa(r)
Women in the kingdom don't have some basic universal rights...like the right to drive. But it would be unfair to reduce Saudi society to its laws, especially when so many in the kingdom are trying to change them.
Back in December, Prince Al Waleed bin Talal -- Saudi Arabia's most influential businessman-- wrote an open letter titled ">It is High Time that Saudi Women Started Driving their Cars". It draws on concerted grassroots efforts by women and civil society to have the law changed.
There's no room for such great work in stereotypes, my friends.
3. Video games be like ...
This is both lame and stereotypical.
4. Saudi Tinder
Grossly stereotypical.
5. Kingdom dress code
The abaya NOT the burqa is mandatory in the kingdom. There's a difference.
Certain areas in Saudi Arabia are much more relaxed than others. For example, the coastal city of Jeddah enforces the rules considerably differently from Riyadh. In Jeddah, women are allowed to wear abayas of different colors, sometimes even hanging open to reveal their outfits beneath.
Women living in compounds can go out without any additional layers, and in some "posh private Red Sea resorts, they go in bikinis," according to The Economist.