From Iran to France: When will Men Stop Telling Women How to Dress?
The recent unrest and demonstrations in Iran followed by the death of Mahsa Amini under the custody of moral police, invoke the age-old debate on what and how women should wear. The 22-year-old woman was arrested by the moral police for allegedly violating the dress code for women. Be it the mandatory dress code in Iran, Saudi Arabia, or Afghanistan, the ban on face covering in France, or a state High Court’s ruling in India prohibiting girls from wearing a hijab in school, I can’t stop wondering, when will men stop telling women how to dress?
While videos of women burning their hijabs or demonstrating without their headscarves in Iran are surfacing on social media, women’s rights activists in France and Belgium have been fighting against the ban on face covering (burqa and niqab)in public places for several years.
In May 2021, the head of President Emmanuel Macron’s political party withdrew support for one of the party’s candidates, Sarah Zemmahi, for wearing a headscarf on a campaign poster.
In January 2022, in the Indian state of Karnata, Muslim students wearing hijabs in a junior college were denied entry because it was a violation of the college’s uniform policy. Following massive unrest and the state government’s order to ban hijabs in schools and colleges, the High Court of Karnataka supported the state government’s order that banned headscarves in classrooms.
Many support the protest in Iran, the Karnataka High Court’s decision against wearing hijab in school, or the French government’s decision to ban the burqa in public places simply because they consider the hijab or niqab as signs of oppression against women.
But in my view, what is truly oppressive is attempting to control women’s choice of dress. Whether it is France banning face coverings (burqas) or Iran enforcing head coverings (hijabs), both are equally oppressive. In both cases, women’s choices are being taken away, violating their fundamental rights.
From France, India, and Saudi Arabia to Iran, governments and religious leaders have been preoccupied with deciding the ‘ideal’ way a woman’s body should appear in public. If this is not a violation of fundamental human rights, then what is?
Why should a woman’s dress code even be a topic of debate or policy?
Where is women’s choice?
What if a Muslim woman in France feels uncomfortable stepping out of her home without covering her face? Or if a woman in Iran or Afghanistan chooses not to cover her head? Why should men have any say in this at all? When will men understand that decisions about women’s clothing are none of their business? Women are perfectly capable of deciding for themselves what they want to wear. They should be free, as a matter of culture, religion, and personal choice, to wear—or not to wear—what they wish. By enforcing mandatory dress codes only on women, countries repeatedly demonstrate their inability to accept women as equal citizens.
I am aware of the privilege that allows me to write and publish this post. In many parts of the world, I could be killed tomorrow for expressing support for women’s right to dress as they choose. That is why I am always surprised when people question the relevance of feminism today. Many believe women have already achieved equality in all areas of life and are empowered enough not to need a movement dedicated to their rights. Really? But that debate is for another day. For now, my full support goes to the women in Iran, France, India, and Saudi Arabia who are fighting for the freedom to choose—whether to wear a hijab, niqab, or burqa, or not at all.
Read: Feminism and the Advocacy of Women’s Rights: Why Are these Relevant Today?
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