modest AND warm.

No broad brush needed.

Can America have some of those! Maybe one in every big city!

Edit now that I have read the articles, I think its imperative that women are treated the same as men, if they want to wear just bottoms that should be ok. You know, for equality.

They say they are very comfortable, and really protect from sunburn. They are making them in a variety of colors, too.

I won't lie and say that I haven't considered them on occassion, especially when I see how I look in a swim suit now that I am older! Lol!

I am glad that burkinis are becoming acceptable wear; I think being able to swim as a family is a great activity.

ON EDIT: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Anyone else seen this movie?

"Million Dollar Mermaid" - 1952
Starring Ester Williams

Biopic of Australian swimming champ and entertainer Annette Kellerman. After overcoming polio, Kellerman achieves fame and creates a scandal when her one-piece bathing suit is considered indecent.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044903/

Which is not a shaming or insulting thing for them.

I have had multiple conversations with them about this, including about the historical traditions; the Muslim faith was surprisingly "Women's Rights" for the 8th century, and this is something that is VERY impressive (since Western women weren't allowed to own property, for example, for another thousand years).

They feel empowered, and proud of their faith; they consider wearing hajib to be a way of sharing that they are practicing Muslims - and they aren't terrorists. It isn't always an easy choice, especially when it makes a person "stand out as different." That can be hard.

My friends wear beautiful clothing. It is comfortable, and appropriate for the weather (which in Michigan varies regularly).

Twenty years ago it was "unthinkable" for a Muslim woman to be swimming in public. Now the burkini is changing that. This is a step in a good direction which shows respect for other people, and encourages inclusion in public activities. I like it.

In the 1950s, no respectable woman would be seen in public without her gloves and her hat. Today those rules have changed.

The same thing is happening for the modern day Muslim woman. There are discussions about this happening everywhere (and it is very exciting). Technically, "modesty" does not specifically call for a headscarf, but it is "traditional" - which "traditions" do modern Moslem women want to carry forward, and which do they wish to re-define?

I *love* how the "old traditions" are being reinterpreted for modern day women, and I will support them. It might seem odd to me (like fringes on a scarf, or wearing a turban, or whatever), but everyone practices their faith to suit themselves, and my outrage meter only goes off when some fool starts throwing stones because he thinks he has a right to voice an opinion on it. (I mean literal stones - and I think you know of what I speak!)

When I go to mosque with Moslem friends, or church with Christian ones, or synagogue with Jewish ones, I dress appropriately and I don't feel oppressed either. I am pro-choice on other people's fashion choices (but I am just not "comfortable" being sky-clad - lol!).

*NOTE: Although my husband and I have agreed that our children will be forced to abide by the "no inappropriate un-modest words on their clothing" -- my daughter (for example) will not be allowed to plaster "Juicy" across her bottom while she is under our roof as a minor! Lol!

It is oppression. It's oppressing women. It's perpetrated by men. Cultures that mandate that women cover themselves entirely because men can't handle it are inherently and cruelly sexist. And it's not as if it's easy for women in said culture to defy it. But there are certainly those that do. Bravo to them.

I'm quite aware that early Islam was more liberal than many than extant religions. That was a thousand years ago. Religion is not in some sterile box by itself, though. It mingles and mixes with regional culture.

The comparison to women here in the 50s is not a good one. For one thing it wasn't mandated. For another if by respectable you mean upper middle class and even much of the middle class, yeah, that was a cultural norm. But millions and millions of perfectly respectable middle class, working class, working poor and just plain poor women weren't in that demographic.

When a woman wears a hajib, she is identifying herself publicly as a woman who is a proud practicing Muslim. After 9/11 there were Idiots who assumed this meant "terrorist" and the type of moron who believes that rarely goes after the "big guy" who can kick his butt (who looks just like every other man out there in America unless he is wearing a gallabia); instead, some of these fools would go after the 110 pound woman with a headscarf because bullies like "weak" targets - and I have heard some funny stories about women who stood up for themselves and their rights as Americans. There were "opportunities to educate" and sometimes, those opportunities came at gas stations, grocery stores and pharmacies.

I personally believe that the "quiet courage" of the folks who continued on with their lives while standing for their rights as Americans to practice their faith / refuse to have it define them as "terrorists" are pretty amazing. I admire and respect them.

Your opinion of whether something is oppressive is YOUR OPINION. I have friends who grew up in the faith, and friends who converted. I know women who wear the hajib, and women who don't. This is America. Each of the women I am friends with has shared with me how they came to the decision to wear the hajib or not. Some are stay at home, and some are professional women, including a doctor, a nurse, a pharmacist, and a couple of computer folk.

Believe it or not, they don't feel oppressed. I didn't feel oppressed when I wore one while visiting Egypt, and I don't feel oppressed when I wear one while visiting a mosque. As I said, I also don't feel oppressed when I dress appropriately at other times, too. It is a personal choice. It really isn't that big of a deal with the people I know. They are my friends.

Everything depends on interpretation and context. I remember being cynical about how women were required to be in the back at mosque; I thought it was about being a second class citizen. Then I realized that the "up and down exercise routine" that is part of Moslem prayer, especially where you humble yourself with your forehead/nose/elbows/knees to the ground which means your ass is up in the air would be a tad embarrassing/distracting if some guy was behind me watching my butt go up and down. Just like "shoes off so you don't bring dog poop and dirt onto the carpet where someone's nose is going to be touching" isn't about "holy ground" but is about common sense cleanliness issues, the "ladies in the back" wasn't about "less than" but about a practical understanding of human nature - my husband would be peeking! Lol!

I guess I have been lucky - the Muslim men I know all have a high level of respect for women, with or without hajib.

But telling women you don't respect their choices because the clothes they wear are oppressive and sexist is patronizing, insulting, and rude. As I said, I will defend everyone's right to make their own fashion choices, even if some of them strike me as odd. Modern clothing for the Muslim woman in America is evolving, and I am proud of my friends for the part they are playing in it.

This was women's bathing attire around 1915:



Burkini:

Nothing I would ever wear. At least it comes in cheerful colors, and the women can enjoy the beach.

&max_width=476

Kidding

...the plot...Same goes for weird dietary restrictions as well..