People tend to go into serious policy-discussion mode when talk turns to the hijab. As a form of covering for Muslim women, the hijab is seen as an object of subjugation — a way for men to impose a sense of servitude and modesty upon their wives, sisters and daughters.
The trouble is, it’s hard to maintain a sense of either gravitas or moral outrage about the subject when you come across websites like Hijab Style, which features all manner of colorful, flashy and fashion-forward hijabs — and the usual fluffy style/fashion blather you’d find at any mainstream fashion site. There are even the requisite runway shots (attention everyone, MaxMara’s showing maxi skirts this fall!) and over-priced clothing finds (a long-sleeved tunic for $78). The only oppression of women that comes to mind is that imposed by high-end designers and fashion mag editors who make us feel that we must look like garbage if we don’t have a $20,000 clothing budget — which seems a different issue entirely.
No, one website pushing hijab bling does not put to rest all serious concerns about the treatment of women in Muslim cultures; and it’s especially hard to see the niqab — which covers a woman’s entire face with the exception of her eyes — as anything but repressive, no matter how colorful, luxurious and bejeweled it might be.
Still, Hijab Style is a useful reminder that you can’t necessarily judge a woman’s autonomy by her head covering. Clearly, for at least a small number of Muslim women (Hijab Style gets about 2,500 hits a day), the hijab is a form of self-expression and showing off one’s chicness by staying current.
One Hijab Style reader writes, “My style is classic with some trendy items. I always buy trendy items in an accent colour or in a basic neutral, to give it a long life even after the trend is dead and gone. I also like to set trends myself, or at least try to.”
She sounds no more subjugated or dominated than the average woman with a subscription to In Style magazine.
Something to keep in mind the next time a government proposes a hijab ban in public buildings in the name of protecting women.
The trouble is, it’s hard to maintain a sense of either gravitas or moral outrage about the subject when you come across websites like Hijab Style, which features all manner of colorful, flashy and fashion-forward hijabs — and the usual fluffy style/fashion blather you’d find at any mainstream fashion site. There are even the requisite runway shots (attention everyone, MaxMara’s showing maxi skirts this fall!) and over-priced clothing finds (a long-sleeved tunic for $78). The only oppression of women that comes to mind is that imposed by high-end designers and fashion mag editors who make us feel that we must look like garbage if we don’t have a $20,000 clothing budget — which seems a different issue entirely.No, one website pushing hijab bling does not put to rest all serious concerns about the treatment of women in Muslim cultures; and it’s especially hard to see the niqab — which covers a woman’s entire face with the exception of her eyes — as anything but repressive, no matter how colorful, luxurious and bejeweled it might be.
Still, Hijab Style is a useful reminder that you can’t necessarily judge a woman’s autonomy by her head covering. Clearly, for at least a small number of Muslim women (Hijab Style gets about 2,500 hits a day), the hijab is a form of self-expression and showing off one’s chicness by staying current.
One Hijab Style reader writes, “My style is classic with some trendy items. I always buy trendy items in an accent colour or in a basic neutral, to give it a long life even after the trend is dead and gone. I also like to set trends myself, or at least try to.”
She sounds no more subjugated or dominated than the average woman with a subscription to In Style magazine.
Something to keep in mind the next time a government proposes a hijab ban in public buildings in the name of protecting women.
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