I was invited to a surprise birthday dinner for a friend's mother recently. The food was good, the company was lovely but I felt something was amiss. It was only when I drove back home that I realised what had been niggling me throughout the dinner.

All the aunties that had come to celebrate the occasion did not wear the hijab , or tudung . They came and left with uncovered heads and one had a dodgy wig on.

To see an uncovered head these days in Malaysia is not unusual, as there are many that go about their business in that fashion. But you cannot deny that there are more covered heads than uncovered, and when you meet older women that don't wear the scarf, the sight is a bit jarring. I'll be honest: there are a few of my mother's acquaintances that should bundle themselves up in a burqa, and when one has had a bad Botox job or Einstein hair dyed in fire engine red, maybe covering up totally is a good idea.