Cultural Insights from Abu Dhabi Observations

A Strange Cultural Phenomenon

Here’s another intriguing cultural observation that’s hard to explain.

While riding the subway with my husband, a young man boarded, and we couldn't help but notice how stylish he looked! He was impeccably dressed—wearing a green jacket with a brown corduroy collar, showcasing exquisite fabrics and lots of details. With his striking dark hair and slightly tanned skin, he was quite eye-catching.

He resembled either an Indian or an Arab, but it was hard to tell for sure. My husband suggested there was one detail in his appearance that could likely reveal his nationality and challenged me to guess. Considering we could only see him from the waist up, I couldn't figure it out.

Eventually, I gave up. What surprised me was his answer: the white wired Apple headphones he was wearing probably indicated that he was of Arab descent.

It made sense! When we lived in Abu Dhabi, we noticed an extraordinary preference for wired headphones among Arabs. It was clear they could afford any top-of-the-line headphones but consistently chose these.

People in the Emirates are on the phone constantly, and it seems that wired headphones have the advantage of not running out of battery, not draining your phone’s battery, providing better microphone quality, and avoiding connection issues.

It's not just our observation; I’ve even come across discussions on Reddit where people ask the same question—here's one of the latest threads on the topic.

Feeling a bit nostalgic, here’s a collection of photos from our time in Abu Dhabi! 😊