Her hair was covered, only her blonde bangs peeking out from a white headdress. Her sheer gown created a haze over her figure. She was seen as stunning, ethereal, gorgeous. These are words you would use to describe an angel, words used in headlines from all over as Anya Taylor Joy took to the carpet at the Dune: Part Two premiere.Â
Words that would rarely, if ever, be used to describe the millions of hijabi women who wear almost identical outfits. Crowds don’t come swarming with flashing cameras and stars in their eyes when hijabis are seen covering their bodies. Instead, these women are subjected to accusatory fingers, spiteful eyes, and pity.Â
Many activists and Instagram users were quick to point out the similarity of Taylor Joy’s dress to those of prayer hijabs — two pieces worn in prayer by Muslim women. The prayer hijab drapes over the head, covers the body, and is used for convenience and modesty when praying.Â
The comparisons were made specifically to Palestinian women, who are almost always seen wearing the prayer hijab as it’s the quickest piece of garment they can throw on as they flee their homes to escape air strikes and raids carried out by the Israeli Occupation Forces.
“If we die when our house is bombed, we want to have our dignity and modesty. If we’re bombed and have to be rescued from the rubble, we don’t want to be rescued wearing nothing,” said Sarah Assaad to Al Jazeera earlier this year. Assaad, like other Palestinian women, wear their hijabs and prayer suits in case they are taken from this world.Â
The Muslim women in Gaza and around the world are not afforded the same attention compared to the white women of the Western world. Their lives on the merit scale society has created are lower than the glammed-up celebrities put on pedestals.Â
A different and unique red carpet look gained more attention than the blood-red stains on the hijabs of thousands of Palestinian women — their bold disposition and bravery are also worthy of attention.Â
While people put their unshakeable focus on an actress and her choice of clothing, they forget to pay homage to the fact that it has represented Muslim women for millennia. They forget to focus their attention on the women who first wore these clothes and are clinging to their faith.Â
The appropriation of the hijab has been on the rise as fashion trends begin to take unsolicited and unwarranted inspiration from the hijab. It belittles Muslim women, deeming their expression of clothing unworthy compared to when the West utilizes its beauty.Â
When Kim Kardashian wore a full black outfit, emulating the look of a burqa at the 2023 Met Gala, it was said that she “rewrote the red carpet’s rule,” according to Vogue.Â
When two Muslim women were arrested and detained for wearing the burqa at a demonstration in France in 2011, the French President deemed the clothing as a “sign of enslavement,” according to ABC.Â
Hooded gowns took the stage in 2023 as actresses and singers wore dresses that had scarf-like hoods draped over their hair. These dresses were labelled elegant and avante garde, while the draped scarves over Muslim women are seen as old school and radical.Â
The hijab, its beauty, and its representation of courage and perseverance have been appropriated by fashion trends and designers who blatantly disregard the fact that their clear imitation is a look into the hypocrisy that exists within the Western world; that only when a person they deem important, famous, and worthy of attention is seen wearing modest, covering clothing, is it empowering.
They forget about the women who have been fighting for their rights to wear the hijab, to be accepted into society, and those who wear it unafraid of the repercussions. They forget that those are the women who should be recognized, respected, and applauded.Â