“Yes to the headscarf!”… but only on the runways: Vogue France under backlash for double standard
Just last Friday, Vogue France came under heavy scrutiny for it’s comment under Julia Fox’s headscarf, “Yes to the headscarf!”. This comes following France’s ban on the Islamic veil (niqab and burqa) from all public spaces, such as public streets, hospitals, schools, buses, shops and cinemas (Woodyatt et. al, 2022). The nation even went as far as banning hijabs, a veil worn by Muslim women, from public schools, for those under 18, and even prohibited athletes from wearing the hijab. The ban, which France claims to be a part of secularism and maintaining neutrality, is really a set of discriminatory bills passed that many would describe as “misogynistic islamophobia”. The hijab ban has struck many debates of the policing of women’s bodies and the right to freedom of religion and expression.
Given the national controversy surrounding the discrimination that Muslim women in France face, the comments made by Vogue France were perceived by many as tone deaf and promoting double standards. Many Muslim women were upset by the comment made by Vogue France, “Yes to the headscarf!”, as a fashion statement. Yet the French government has said no to the headscarf when Muslim women choose to wear it. Instagram comments in response to Vogue France’s comment included: “yes to the headscarf! Okay Vogue France tell your government then” (Instagram User) and “The irony of Vogue France promoting a ‘headscarf’ on a white women while Muslim women in Hijabs are banned from public life”, another user wrote.
Within recent years, with the rise of Muslim women models such as Halima Aden and Ugbad Abdi in the fashion industry, the hijab has become a commodity to the fashion industry. Many brands begun selling headscarves and styling them on models to appeal to this trend of “modest fashion”. Modest fashion has been around for many years, but the question that arises now is, “Is modest fashion only acceptable when it’s a trend?” and “If Vogue France says, “Yes to the headscarf”, then why does France say “No to the hijab” when Muslim women choose to wear the headscarf as a part of modesty and religious expression?”
Runways and mainstream fashion, a billion-dollar industry, have been profiting off of modest fashion; yet islamophobia and discrimination against Muslim women remain. The tone deafness of Vogue France’s post is only a fraction of the problem, but the systematic discrimination against Muslim women is where the conversation must begin.
