Ban men from selling lingerie

The online-offline "Ban Men From Selling Lingerie in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" campaign was started in July 2008 by women consumers using Facebook as its primary online platform. Led by Reem Asaad, a finance lecturer at Dar al-Hikma Women's College in Jeddah, the campaign aims to persuade the government to implement Saudi Labor Law No. 120, which states "only females may be employed in women apparel and accessories stores". The law was passed in 2006, but never implemented.

Although the Facebook group (started September 2008) has received modest online support over the past year (2,245 members at time of writing, and many of those foreigners), the campaign has achieved significant press coverage both inside and outside the Kingdom and some support from bloggers across the Middle East. In March 2009, a group of 50 women in Jeddah launched a public boycott of lingerie shops urging women to boycott lingerie shops that employed male service staff. Meanwhile, 1,700 people were reported to have signed the campaign's petition by March 2009.


In June 2009, a group of 26 Saudi women attended a widely publicised 10 day training course on selling lingerie, led by an Australian woman who had heard about the boycott campaign online .A group of Victoria's Secret employees who had heard about the campaign on Facebook sent a box filled with colorful cotton bras to be used in the training.

The campaign called for a two week boycott of all lingerie shops that employ men starting from the 13th of February 2010, which has been covered in local Saudi press and by Saudi bloggers.

The campaign continues. 

Updated 13 February 2010. 

Campaign URLs
Facebook: Facebook

Friends, fans and followers
Facebook: 1,200 members(17 January '09), 2,245 members (24 August '09), 4,409 members (13 February '10)

News stories
The Huffington Post: Saudi Women Train To Sell Lingerie (24 June 2009)
Saudi Gazette: ‘I’d rather not buy my unmentionables from you’ (March 2009)
BBC: Saudi lingerie trade in a twist (25 February 2009)
Arab News: Women’s campaign for right to sell lingerie in Saudi Arabia fails (18 January 2009)
Arab News: Shattering glass ceilings at lingerie shops (15 October 2008)
Saudiwoman's Weblog: Ban men from selling lingerie in KSA (16 January '10)
Arab News: ‘Manned’ lingerie shops targeted (13 February 2010)