Al-Mukalla: Yemeni women are defying Houthi clothing restrictions and the militia's escalating crackdown in areas under their control by posting pictures of themselves online while wearing vibrant traditional attire.

Numerous women from inside and outside of the nation have shared photos of themselves on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #Yemeni identity. Social media is a popular platform for activists to express their outrage.

A Yemeni writer named Mozen Senan said, "Our grandmothers used to wear colourful clothing and our heritage is full of colours and joy," as he posed for a photo with a friend while donning a colourful abaya and a headscarf.

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Ansar Allah wants to cover us in black and dictates what we should wear. even if we don't dress the same as our grandmothers anymore. She referred to the Houthi as "this is who we are today, and these are our colours.

The Houthi authorities in Sanaa told tailors that women's abayas should be loose-fitting and black almost a week prior to the start of the online campaign.

These Houthi clothing restrictions are a part of a broader campaign against women that also forbids them from travelling between towns unaccompanied by men. The group is notorious for kidnapping artists and accusing them of alleged moral crimes.

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Human rights activist Ebtehal Al-Komani claimed that historically, women have never dressed their entire bodies in black clothing.

"Yemeni women never wore black (clothing). a peculiar practise that is widely practised in Yemeni society. She posted pictures of herself and other female activists dressed in traditional attire on Facebook and declared, "It neither belongs to us nor does it belong to us.

Fatima Muthanna, a Yemeni singer, also published images of herself. She wrote on Facebook in a post that received hundreds of likes and comments, "This is our vibrantly hued identity."

Five well-known online personalities have been kidnapped and held captive by the Houthis since December for criticising the militia's inability to improve the country's economic situation and root out corruption in government.

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As a result of the Houthis' crackdown on opponents, thousands of Yemenis either fled the country or moved to areas under government control.

Entesar Al-Hammadi, a Yemeni model and actress who was abducted in a Sanaa street for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code, is still in the Houthis' custody.

She has reportedly been tortured and held in solitary confinement by the Houthis despite regional and international calls for her release.