What to Wear in Burma

by | Apr 7, 2017

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Last updated on November 19th, 2023

I would highly recommend skirts over pants in much of undeveloped Asia, not because of femininity or cultural mores, but because of cleanliness. The bathrooms in this part of the world are pretty tough by Western standards and the floors are usually quite wet and nasty. Since many of these cultures use water to clean themselves instead of toilet paper, the water tends to get all over the floor. It is much easier to squat and hold your skirt over your waist then it is to squat and hold up the bottom of your pants from touching the floor.

Durfee, Boston, USA

In Burma, even if it’s very hot, try to avoid wearing sleeveless dresses or T-shirts. It is generally not considered “culturally-correct” in this country.

Anna P., Denmark

Nice short sleeve shirts and long skirts were the only practical pieces that one could wear in Burma, partly because of the bathroom facilities and also because of the culture. As well, you will fit in better since that is how many of the Burmese women dress. In the morning, street vendors sell freshly picked bunches of jasmine that can be tied into your hair and the fragrance lingers for hours.

J. Kate, Vancouver, Canada

Follow JourneyWoman for curated articles, tips, news and content from our community and our partners.

0 Comments

We always strive to use real photos from our own adventures, provided by the guest writer or from our personal travels. However, in some cases, due to photo quality, we must use stock photography. If you have any questions about the photography please let us know.

Disclaimer: We are so happy that you are checking out this page right now! We only recommend things that are suggested by our community, or through our own experience, that we believe will be helpful and practical for you. Some of our pages contain links, which means we’re part of an affiliate program for the product being mentioned. Should you decide to purchase a product using a link from on our site, JourneyWoman may earn a small commission from the retailer, which helps us maintain our beautiful website. JourneyWoman is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

We want to hear what you think about this article, and we welcome any updates or changes to improve it. You can comment below, or send an email to us at [email protected].

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *