Shelina Janmohamed is an author and a culture columnist for The National
July 14, 2021
Before the coronavirus pandemic, it was the #MeToo movement that led to discussions about personal space and maintaining physical boundaries.
Back in 2017, there was talk of how women often felt their physical boundaries were routinely breached, which added to some women feeling not just disrespected but violated.
These public conversations, largely online, raised important questions: how could those men who – whether habitually or absent-mindedly – disrespected women's space be prevented from doing so? How could we change behaviour patterns and create a different culture, a healthier one, in which men didn't feel entitled to disregard women's preference for people standing a little further away.
After the Harvey Weinstein case, some men at least attempted to understand the discomfort and even terror that women can feel, but often suppress – for fear of consequences – when they try to regulate their personal space.
Then came the pandemic and the universal roll out of social distancing.
A year and a half since then, as we gradually shed coronavirus restrictions, there are behaviours we need to get used to again. Let's hope that the violation of personal boundaries is not going to be one of them – unlike the hand washing and mask wearing, which I suspect, are here to stay.
During peak Covid-19 restrictions, plenty of people were already wary of catching the virus or infecting others. This period gave women a justified reason to tell people off if they flouted restrictions and stood too close. The social distancing, which accompanied Covid-19 gave people breathers from uninvited and unwanted hugs, kisses on the cheek and shaking of hands.
For many women, it freed their bodies of the tension they are prone to carry, in anticipation of someone violating space boundaries. It freed many of the fear that if they voiced their concerns, they would be called rude or grumpy, get mocked for "making a big deal" – or worse, have a man turn on them with aggression and even violence. Broadly speaking, over the past year and a half, women didn't have to be on guard as much as was the case before the pandemic, and this was a huge relief.
Studies suggest that people now perceive the value of their personal space to be greater than it used to be. Research at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital suggests that subjects have increasing personal space requirements, post the onset of the pandemic as compared to before. The authors of the research are unsure whether this observed change will subside post pandemic or not.
Even in non-medical circles though, there are discussions under way that we need a new non-verbal and spatial language to be able to tell the level of comfort people have about social distancing rules. We may be nervous about once-normal behaviours such as hugs if we don't know the other person's feelings on the matter.
But it's not just women who want their personal space respected.
To be sure, men have also felt the discomfort of someone coming too close, and the social awkwardness of dealing with those who simply don’t care about intruding on personal space. However, while plenty of men like their physical space, it is rare to hear a man talk about feeling threatened or uncomfortable when that boundary is disregarded.
Having your personal space breached and therefore risking contracting Covid-19 is on a different scale to what many women deal with: a lifelong barrage of micro-aggressions when they assert their need for boundaries.
Nonetheless, the social distancing brought on by the pandemic ought to have given men a taste of what many women experience routinely. Perhaps at last men can relate and understand the importance women attach to their space. It took too long but maybe the point that personal space is sacrosanct has finally been made.
As we emerge from the pandemic, we will need to re-establish some social norms. In doing so we must not miss the opportunity to permanently weave in women's rightful claims to maintain boundaries. It is critical to start doing that now before we all revert to type. Even when the pandemic is behind us, no woman should have to go back to feeling uncomfortable.
What: DP World Tour Championship When: November 21-24 Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Tickets:www.ticketmaster.ae.
How to tell if your child is being bullied at school
Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
Academic performance begins to deteriorate
Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta) Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli) Best Team: Atalanta Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta) Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia) Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus) Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan) Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
If you go...
Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.
Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,200m
6.30pm: Liwa Oaisi Group 2 (PA) Dh300,000 1,400m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
The National selections: 5pm: Flit Al Maury, 5.30pm: Sadah, 6pm: RB Seqondtonone, 6.30pm: RB Money To Burn, 7pm: SS Jalmood, 7.30pm: Dalaalaat
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
