What are Turkish Women Like - Dating Girls from Turkey

Turkey is known for its strategic location at the meeting point of the East and West; but apart from its geographical position, Turkey is also blessed to embody in its culture the best of both worlds. Little wonder then that its women are some of the most attractive in the world besides being smart and well educated.

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They are gorgeous looking

As far as looks are concerned, Turkish women are difficult to beat. Most young women of today have slender frames which only add to the beauty of their traditional dark, lustrous hair and glowing skin. Even though they are not often perceived by the international media as the hottest females in the manner of Hollywood platinum blondes and dark Latino temptresses, Turkey is actually filled with the likes of  Azra Akin – the Turkish beauty who went on to win the Miss World title in 2002.

Fashion conscious

Not only are Turkish women naturally attractive, they know how to complement their looks with great style too. Turkish women are some of the most fashion-conscious in their part of the world and so don’t be surprised to find out that one of their chief delights in life is shopping. More often than not, young women in Turkey are turned out in stylish dresses, sexy boots and blow-dried hair. They put on just the right kind of makeup to highlight their lovely complexion. Thus if you are thinking about getting serious with your Turkish girlfriend, be prepared to shell out big bucks. Many young Turkish women today are high-maintenance types and are not shy about spending on their looks and appearance. a representative figure is Didem Erol; this former girlfriend of Quentin Tarantino is not only a familiar face in fashion circuits having been on the covers of magazines like the Turkish editions of FHM, InStyle and Cosmopolitan but has also acted in Hollywood movies like The Accidental Spy with Jackie Chan and Fake Identity with Val Kilmer.

They are smart

Time was when women in Turkey were expected not to venture into professional and intellectual fields. However with its transition from a traditional Islamic society to modern western-styled education, Turkey encouraged its women to acquire higher education as well as professional training. Today some of the biggest women celebrities in Turkey are smart and intellectually accomplished too. A case in point is Sebnem Schaefer who apart from being an avid equestrian rider and dancer, is also smart and politically minded. She is competent in five languages - German, Turkish, English, French, and Arabic - and recently joined the DYP political party of Turkey, an event which garnered major media attention in the country. So when visiting Turkey, don’t go with expectations of women hidden in burqas and shy to interact with strangers.  Indeed, in the fields of architecture, science, medicine, pharmacy and law in the country, at least one out of three employed is a woman. In colleges women constitute about 35 percent of the faculty. Almost 40 percent of all young traders at the Istanbul Stock Exchange are women. Even in the technical world of engineering, with a participation level of 12 percent, Turkish women are slightly ahead of their western counterparts. Moreover, Turkey has an expanding list of women writers, actors, artists and musicians with international acclaim, such as the first woman ceramics professor Jale Yilmabasar and the opera diva Leyla Gencer. Thus if you are interested in making a good impression on Turkish women, you would do well to consider them as individuals with brains as well as attractive faces. Engage them in interesting discussions that reveal their awareness of contemporary trends and the larger world. However try and avoid controversial topics like politics and religion, especially during the first few meetings.

Like to be treated with respect

Despite the many achievements made by women in Turkey, they continue to be held hostage to patriarchal mindset when it comes to caring for the family and bringing up children. Turkish men are still not comfortable taking up domestic responsibilities and the rearing of children. As a result women in Turkey have a difficult time managing professional and family commitments. Also they constantly feel the need to prove themselves in a traditionally patriarchal culture. So the best way to touch the heart of a Turkish lady would be to treat her with respect. If you wish to enter into a long term relationship with her, give evidence of your willingness to share household duties and family responsibilities. As a foreigner you are well placed to impress her with your liberal attitudes. And once she gets a glimpse of your egalitarian views, she is likely to give a serious thought to a relationship with you.

Rooted in tradition

Since the family is a very important aspect of Turkish life, you can expect your girlfriend to be quite close to her parents and siblings. Holidays and celebrations in Turkey are vast family affairs where several generations and extended family members get together and have a good time. Traditionally Turkish families have followed the system of arranged marriages and would still prefer to supervise personal relationships of their children. Thus despite your girlfriend’s open-mindedness about dating foreigners, be prepared for her family to treat you with some initial ambivalence. On the plus however, once the family accepts you as one of their own, you and your partner can be sure of finding a support network to fall back upon in times of need. People here consider it as their duty to help out their families in whatever way their can and over time you are sure to welcome their unstinting love and generosity.