Bavarian Broadcasting (BR) has produced a feature on Islamic-inspired “modest fashion” that compares women to mobile phones. This comparison is not only questionable but also symptomatic of a problematic view of women’s roles in society. The piece does not appear to be intended as satire, making the situation even more concerning.
The feature conveys the message that women should be treated like mobile phones: important and worthy of protection. The claim that women must dress “covered” is presented not as a dictate from men but as a confident choice by women themselves. However, this view is misleading and downplays the patriarchal structures behind modest fashion.
A key quote comes from the husband of a young woman who opened a modest fashion boutique in Nuremberg. He explains that women “should not be an object for other men.” This statement exemplifies the patronizing and disempowering attitude often overlooked in discussions about modest fashion.
BR presents veiling as an act of liberation and portrays people who “show skin” in summer as suspicious. This portrayal is not only one-sided but also dangerous, as it ignores the reality of many women who veil not out of conviction but under coercion.
The staging of the feature is also problematic. An older woman enters the boutique and expresses delight at the offerings because she no longer wants to show so much skin at her age. This depiction suggests that there is only one acceptable way for women to dress and that the choice of modest fashion is a universal truth.
The feature concludes with the message that it doesn’t matter how much skin a person shows, but how comfortable they feel in their own skin. This statement may seem positive at first glance, but it overlooks the deeper significance of modest fashion, which has gained importance over the past decade and serves a billion-dollar market.
A critical approach to such a topic on public broadcasting would be desirable. Instead, uncritical fandom is propagated along the lines of “Sharia, go, score another goal.” The fact that the feature’s authors unperturbedly compare women to mobile phones is a bad sign for the editorial team’s sensitivity.
Overall, the BR feature shows how important it is to approach topics like modest fashion critically. Comparing women to mobile phones is not only inappropriate but also a sign of the deeply rooted patriarchal structures that persist in society. A nuanced discussion about women’s roles in modest fashion is urgently needed.
Source: www.faz.net
