H&M Uses Model with Headscarf, People Over React

2 October 2015

It's not like the collective entity of weirdos, crazy people and meninists who sulk around cyberspace throwing out ill informed opinions and ignorant hate to over-react to new things is it? No wait, my bad, it's exactly what they do.

 

H&M chose to feature their first model in a headscarf in one of their fashion campaigns this year, which in the year 2015 should not have come as a surprising or scandalous event. Sadly, including minority figures in mainstream fashion campaigns is still seen as a 'PR Stunt' due to it's relative rarity, and these images of women we wouldn't bat an eyelid at crossing in the street, suddenly becomes 'edgy' when in the context of fashion.

 

Some of the media coverage has focussed more on Pakistani-born Idrissi 'asking for permission' to her parents to do the shoot, which she says herself was not representative of her simply asking her parents for advice on whether she should do it - a conversation that most young women would have had regardless of race, or religion, when faced with this opportunity.

Idrissi, the model featured by H&M, has said despite some negative comments over the supposed oxymoron of wearing a hijab and posing in a fashionable way, the response has been quite positive online and she has received plenty of support and admiration from Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

 

I love Idrissi's look and the message behind the H&M advert, I only hope that this isn't a one off 'attention grabber'  whilst other Muslim models fade slowly back into obscurity. Furthermore I hope that people will soon appreciate that the hijab, as politically charged a garment as it is in the west, representation in the mainstream fashion media means that the industry is reflecting on itself, and realising a need for radical change.