Nasima Khatun
French Vogue has been under fire after they posted an Instagram shot praising Julia Fox for wearing a headscarf despite the country passing multiple laws targeting Muslim women who wear the hijab.
Alongside a photograph of the actress wearing a black scarf, sunglasses and a leather jacket, the renowned outlet wrote a caption saying: “Yes to the headscarf! Swipe left for your recap of @JuliaFox and @KayeWest style journey at the haute couture shows in Paris this week.”
Social media users flooded the comment section, slamming Vogue as “hypocritical.”
“How come she wears headscarf and doesn’t get a fine and get her headscarf snatched or pulled in streets of France… strange though… Oh wait sorry I forgot she ain’t Muslim,” wrote one user.
“‘Yes to the headscarf’ but no to hijab. Really smart,” added another.
“Oh right so if a white woman wears a scarf it’s fashion but god forgot a Muslim woman of colour wears it then you best ban it? Give us all a break,” a third wrote.
After the intense backlash, the outlet removed the initial sentence praising the headscarf and started spamming their account with more photos to cover up their massive blunder. But Instagram users weren’t forgiving, nor were Twitter users as the news of the hypocrisy continued to spread like wildfire.
This comes shortly after the French government passed yet another hijab ban which will affect Muslim women in sport. Last Tuesday, officials voted in favour of banning women from wearing the hijab while competing in sporting competitions.
The controversial decision was approved after senators voted 160 to 143 in the upper house of parliament. Members of the Les Republicains party amended the proposed legislation, which initially stated the removal of “religious symbols” to explicitly banning “the wearing of the veil.”
“Today, there is legal uncertainty about the wearing of religious symbols, and it is necessary for the state to clearly define the rules,” the amendment said. “If the wearing of the veil is not explicitly forbidden, we could see the emergence of community sports clubs promoting certain religious signs.”
The French Football Federation has already banned women from wearing hijabs during official matches, including all other competitions organised by them. Les Hijabeuses, a group of activists that oppose the rules of the federation, have said that Muslim women have a right to enjoy the sport without compromising on crucial aspects of their faith.
Over the past few years, France has been slammed for continuously targeting the Muslim community. In 2011, they banned full-face veils (also known as niqabs) before doubling down recently with increased inspections of mosques, schools and sports clubs, in a bid to “tackle extremism.”
Last year, they also passed the “Separatism Bill”, which effectively prohibits girls under the age of 18 from wearing the hijab in public spaces such as parks and schools. The controversial decision sparked the “Hands off my Hijab” movement on social media.
Let’s be honest, at this point, France just needs to get in the bin.