WRAPPED & TRAPPED IN A 'CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY'

Pelosi Visits Iran

By Elizabeth Wolff
I used to think wearing a push-up bra was punishment.

Then I wore an Iranian-issue chador for a day.

As soon as I put on the one-size-fits-all outfit, I could feel my self-confidence plummet.

By the end of my belittling day under Islam's strict dress code, the stares and smirks were the least of my concerns.

Homeless men at Penn Station shouted gibberish at me, available cabs ignored me and children and the elderly gawked.

I got used to the chafing, $36 polyester get-up - and got the knack for the niqab (scarf) from a Google how-to guide. But the pins holding the hijab headscarf in place pierced my neck, I tripped on every subway staircase and the slightest breeze blew open my chador.

I soon learned the head-to-toe smock the Iranian government has long forced its female citizenry to cover up in is a psychological prison.

I have never smiled less or felt so lonely.
Article By Elizabeth Wolff
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