As a Muslim, I found Kim Kardashian's Met Gala outfit strange and disgusting
The US media has praised the reality star for effectively wearing a burqa on the red carpet, even as Afghan women protest their oppression at the hands of the Taliban.
I'm a writer whose niche is modest fashion - I've actually written an entire book on the subject - so spending a few hours of my time critiquing a Kardashian's fashion choices feels a bit like selling my soul. However, I just have to talk about Kim Kardashian's weird outfit at the Met Gala last night, which covered her in black from head to toe (except for her flawless ponytail).
If you haven't seen the images and memes that have gone viral, I'll describe her outfit: a thigh-length black dress with flared sleeves over a black bodysuit, covering from feet to toes, forehead, and beyond. . The dress had two black tails and the look was completed with black pointed heels. She couldn't see an inch of skin and her face was completely hidden.
There is another black garment that is known to completely cover the wearer, but I doubt it will see the light of day on a red carpet in the West. The burqa, after all, has become a symbol of extremism, and when Muslim women choose to wear abayas and burqas that cover their skin, they are seen as suffocating and oppressive, the furthest thing from high fashion and glamor. Burqas can provide their wearers with anonymity, which is considered a "security threat" in many parts of the Western world. For its part, an article by Elle used the term "incognito" to describe the appearance of Kardashian.
When the Kardashian outfit began to circulate on Instagram, I was confident that the major publications would label it a "mistake." She naively believed that such an outfit couldn't make any "best dressed" list. But alas, the Kardashians can make anything look cool, even concepts that are considered barbaric and retrograde when embodied by Muslims. "Artistic", "creative", "mysterious" and "inventive" were some of the words used to describe her extravagant outfit.
Social media users weren't so friendly. Some compared the costume to that of the Harry Potter dementors or claimed that the reality star showed up on the red carpet wearing a "sock." But for others, the similarities to the burqa were unmistakable. One user tweeted that Kardashian was paying "tribute to the Taliban" with her choice of outfit; another replied: "haute couture burqa!" When it comes to the red carpet and worn by a famous reality star, the tone is light-hearted, even humorous. When a Muslim woman wears a garment with the same level of coverage, it causes a public scandal about immigration, fundamentalism and feminism.
This is the third time Kardashian has appeared in public in a black suit that covers her entire face in the past month. The one who donned on Saturday wore a creepy leather mask that zipped up to cover her entire face. Masks to prevent the spread of the pandemic are one thing, and black balaclava-like hoods adorned with metal hardware are another.
I can't help but find this "trend", for lack of a better word, terribly timely, not to mention totally insensitive in light of the current situation in Afghanistan, where less than a month ago US troops withdrew from a nation. which they invaded and then left in the hands of the Taliban. For a few days now, Afghan women around the world have been campaigning against burqa law with photos showing their colorful cultural costumes, along with hashtags like #DoNotTouchMyClothes, an extension of the #DontTouchMyHijab campaign that started earlier this year. after the hijab ban in France for minors.
As for the burqa, some women wear it, with a facial veil, of their own accord. But bans on the burqa, niqab and hijab in several European countries and Canadian provinces restrict the right of these women to dress as they please. Seeing Kardashian get praised for doing the exact same thing is, frankly, mind-blowing.
Unfortunately, this irony is nothing new for Muslim women, who have been dressing modestly for years, but have only recently seen their style preferences reflected in mainstream fashion. Before, when they wore their floor-length, long-sleeved dresses, they were considered scruffy and drab. But when the runways of Gucci, Valentino and Christian Dior, among others, began to sport conservative cuts, they were applauded as "prairie-chic" and avant-garde. Muslim-American Hoda Katebi articulates this still-present dissonance in the article she wrote in 2018 for Glamor titled “When you wear a turtleneck you are stylish; when I wear one, I am downtrodden ”.
Following the 9/11 attacks, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney donned a burqa to deliver a dramatic speech in favor of the invasion of Afghanistan. She stated that it was difficult to see, breathe and even cross the street with her veil. Kardashian seemed to have no trouble seeing or breathing while she was on the Met Gala red carpet - that, too, in high heels.
With the Balenciaga brand stamp, Kardashian's outfit got the go-ahead from too many fashion publications and critics in the West. A Fox News reporter, known for her tendency to Islamophobia, called the Kardashian outfit the second best look of the night. One would suppose that the opinion of the channel of him on the burqas would not be so enthusiastic.
Also, the theme of this year's Met Gala was American independence. Some guests embodied the theme creatively, with dresses made from denim and a dress with 50 flowers, one from each state. Others made statements about taxes and patriarchy. Kardashian's, however, says nothing about "American" or "independence"; in fact, many of the elements of it emulate the same symbol from which the United States went to war to "liberate" women. The hypocrisy is evident, so in that sense, she may be very American.
