Winter is upon us, and with it, all sorts of fashionable headwear is in: from hats to scarves to balaclavas.
Each of these closet staples has a similar goal in mind: to keep the head warm while making its wearer look chic. Tens of thousands of tutorials posted on TikTok teach aspiring style icons how to wear their scarves or balaclavas in a way that looks good.
To the uncritical eye, winter headwear is a celebrated seasonal vogue, that is, in fact, encouraged to be stylish. But to many hijab-wearing women around the world, the winter trend is an eyebrow-raiser.
When non-Muslims style fabric over their heads, it’s seen as fashion-forward. When Muslim women do it, they’re oppressed and backward. Why is that the case?
In Islam, the concept of the hijab or the veil is prescribed in the Muslim holy book, the Holy Qur’an. The scripture imparts modesty on both men and women and tells believing women that they should draw a cover over their heads and chests.
At the same time, the Holy Qur’an asserts that there is no compulsion in religion — while the hijab is a necessity, it cannot be forced upon a Muslim woman. Rather, the journey to the hijab is personal and a symbol of one’s connection to their faith.
But in the West, the Muslim veil has been taken to be oppressive. In France, the Muslim face-covering (niqab) has been banned. French athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics were banned from wearing religious symbols like the hijab, which essentially excluded any hijab-wearing players from competing. Girls in high school have also been barred from wearing the hijab or the abaya in France.
In Quebec, Bill 21 was ushered in using the notwithstanding clause to override the constitutional right to freedom of religion and ban people from working as teachers, lawyers, police officers, and more if they wear religious symbols like the hijab.
In other places around the world, Muslim women are ridiculed and sometimes assaulted for their choice to cover their heads. In reality, there’s only one major difference between a winter scarf and the hijab: while one is worn for warmth, the other is worn for God.
This dichotomy, which sees the headscarf as permissible for one group of people and illicit for another, also exists outside of winter and in celebrity culture.
During the Dune: Part Two press tour, a similar conversation about who gets to wear a headscarf without derision came up. While Anya-Taylor Joy’s white head covering, which resembled a hijab, was celebrated as high-fashion, many questioned why similar clothing worn by Muslim women is seen as backward.
As a society, we need to begin questioning these so-called beauty standards which are celebrated for one group of people and not another. The choice to wear a headscarf, be it for fashion, warmth, or God should all be seen as equal.