The British Daily Mail pointed out that US First Lady Michelle Obama did not seem “impressed” by her visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, judging by her “grim face” as she had to step back as Saudi officials declined to shake her hand.
US President Barack Obama and his wife arrived in the country to offer condolences on the death of King Abdallah bin Abdelaziz Al Saud, and as a sign of respect for the country’s conservative values, Michelle wore a loose-fitting dress. Although she was not required to wear a head veil as a visiting Western official, some Saudis on social media criticized her for the move, as she had done so in visits to other countries.
According to the Daily Mail, Michelle’s face showed resentment during her visit to the kingdom, probably due to the laws which limit women’s rights.
During the greeting ceremony, Michele was required to step behind her husband and wait for officials to approach her, noting that some of Saudi officials did shake hands with her, while others have only gestured from afar.
The British Daily Mail compared between Obama's clothes during her visit to India, where she wore relatively short dresses, and the loose-fitting clothing and the pants she put on in Saudi Arabia, apparently out of respect for the traditions of the country.
The Daily Mail also referred to a video that surfaced of the first lady's visit that stirred anger among Westerners as Michelle was blurred out. The video was not, however, official Saudi TV, but a YouTube user with extremist religious views who is known to blur out women in other videos.
The newspaper also remembered Obama's clothes during her former visits to Indonesia and the Vatican where she covered her hair and wore loose-fitting clothes as well.
