"...she does not care anymore if people look."

Women in Jeddah demand more places to exercise

Selma Roth, Saudi Gazette
Saturday, 25 January 2014

"While the situation for women is slowly improving, running outside is still a distant dream for many Saudi women who live in a culture that rejects idea of women working out in public. Even Gahtani admits she felt a bit nervous the first few times she went for a jog outside.

“People were looking at me,” she said, adding that she does not care anymore if people look. “No one can stop me, but I never get comments. People admire my courage.”

Al-Ghaleb, who describes herself to be “old enough” to have a “well-shaped personality” and to not care when being harassed, nevertheless used to go home crying when motorists stopped their car to take pictures, shout dirty comments, swear at and even insult her. And it wasn’t only the men."