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What defines someone? \u00a0Well, that question is very difficult because there are many things that define someone. \u00a0People have unique personalities that can be expressed through what they wear\u2014since others cannot look inside our brains, we rely on our external appearance to convey a message to the public. \u00a0Through social media and the news, various cultural groups are depicted in multiple ways; ways that are not always positive. \u00a0For example, the word \u201cIslam\u201d is associated with a lot of negative connotations. \u00a0Words such as \u201cextremist\u201d, \u201cconservative\u201d, or \u201csexist\u201d may come to mind. \u00a0One cause of these misconceptions is the media. \u00a0Although some of these words apply to certain Islamic extremists, they do not apply to every Muslim of the world. \u00a0In countries where most citizens are Muslim, there is a balancing act between honoring traditional Islamic values and keeping up with the constantly changing\/advancing world. \u00a0This balancing act can be approached in multiple ways. \u00a0For example, change occurs in every aspect of someone\u2019s life from their clothes to their ideologies and values. \u00a0In the scope of Islam and modernity, Islam has made itself known in an area that is well-versed in European countries as well as the United States – the fashion industry.<\/p>\n
Turkey is a country undergoing modernity, in an unusual way; it is able to maintain important Islamic values while giving women the option to express their individuality through fashion. \u00a0A marker of Islam and women is the veil\u2014the veil is a representation of modesty as well as a means to express one\u2019s religion. \u00a0Ala is a high-fashion magazine in Turkey that caters to Islamic women\u2019s fashion\u2014in Monique Jaques\u2019 photo-journal article regarding Islamic fashion, it is referred to as \u201cVogue of the veiled\u201d by the press. \u00a0By being associated with a renowned fashion magazine, it is seen that Ala successfully achieved its goal of creating fashion that both honors and praises Islam. \u00a0Brands such as Hermes and Louis Vuitton produce scarves that are used as a hijab thus showing that highly respected, and known around the globe, are not abiding to commonly held stereotypes about veiling. \u00a0For example, there is a notion that veiling prevents a woman from freely expressing herself. \u00a0Additionally, these commonly held stereotypes about veiling are dissolved\u2014in Anwar Ghazala and Liz McKay\u2019s article, <\/span>Veiling<\/span><\/i>, they state that \u201cwhen in public, women are asked to draw their <\/span>jilbab<\/span><\/i> (cloaks) over them so they may be identified as respectable women and not be harmed (33:59)\u201d (Ghazala and McKay, Pg. 721). \u00a0Some general thoughts about veiling are that veils prevent a woman from expressing herself, but these thoughts are refuted by the above quote\u2014the veil\u2019s purpose is to be an aspect of a woman\u2019s external expression of herself and a depiction of how she wishes to be perceived. \u00a0The phrase, \u201c…women are <\/span>asked<\/span><\/i>\u2026\u201d, it can be inferred that women are not required to veil, it almost seems like a polite request. \u00a0Even though veiling can be\u00a0a choice, it is not always a choice – in the film, Persepolis<\/em>, when Iran was under an oppressive government, the girls in Marjane\u2019s (the main character) school were forced to veil. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not only is the fashion world evolving in Turkey, but so is Islamic thought. \u00a0An article by Russell Powell discusses the views of influential individuals\u2014 \u201c\u2026new approaches to Islamic law in Turkey have been developed by Diyanet, Ozturk, Gulen, and others. \u00a0All three approaches discussed in this article incorporate elements of modernism\u201d (Powell, Pg. 487). \u00a0This quote shows that the idea of modernism is not ignored, and that there is a desire to hold onto Islamic values such as traditional <\/span>fique<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0All in all, it is up to the Turkish people to decide what direction the nation will go in terms of reevaluating Islamic law as well as how they express themselves externally. \u00a0The fact that there is a magazine specifically geared towards Islamic high-fashion proves that Turkey is combining Islam\u2019s value of modesty with the freedom to express oneself through clothing. \u00a0By veiling fashionably, women are proudly expressing their religion as well as themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n Bibliography:<\/p>\n What defines someone? \u00a0Well, that question is very difficult because there are many things that define someone. \u00a0People have unique personalities that can be expressed through what they wear\u2014since others cannot look inside our brains, we rely on our … Continue reading \n