BODY LANGUAGE: This use — or rather, misuse — of the term “burkini” deserves a moment of deliberation. It is a loaded term that has come to carry more meaning than people may realise.
Aden, who observes a modest dress code in accordance with the requirements of Muslim women to cover their bodies — with the exception of their hands, face and feet — has made a name for herself by gracing runways and magazine covers the world over, unapologetic about doing so while remaining covered up.
These stereotypes dehumanise Muslim women. They paint a picture of them as oppressed, docile and voiceless and reduce their identities — and indeed, their entire existence — to a single item of clothing. The reality is that Muslim women, like Siam, have been making the necessary accommodations to swim in public while dressed in accordance with their religious obligations for as long as they have been around. Whether it meant wearing leggings or other quick-dry fabrics, and oversized tops, they have done what they have had to do.
The magazine images of Aden play on the former to claim the latter. And, by using the burkini as a modal device, they give rise to the fetishisation of Muslim women. Instead of it empowering them, as a campaign like this purports to, it distracts the audience: by making them marvel at a spectacle, their attention is diverted from being critical of the platform and of the normalised ideas which the campaign is supposedly resisting.
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