The Veiled Beauty

Reading Persepolis has somehow changed my perception on how Muslims women wear the veils or the so called Hijab. In the book, the law of clothing is extremely conservative that the officials obligate all Iranian women to wear the monotone black Hijab everywhere they go, or they will be caught and teased by the officials. As a teenage girl, I personally think that the law seems so bias. It somehow deteriorates the value of fashion and the liberty to choose what trends to follow, which if seen through the "fashion police" point-of-view,  it is considered a "fashion suicide". As far as I am concerned, the reason of making the rule is simply bizarre, which said that women's hair shines and attracts men. Many Muslims women, including Marjane and her family, may snarl for this inequality, and as a girl, I completely understands. However, as time goes by, I began to see how Hijab fashion has developed throughout the world and it makes life of most Islamic women easier and diversely radiant.

Especially in my country, Indonesia, many of the Muslims use the Hijab and personalized it on their own in relation to fashion. Unlike what Marjane encountered in Persepolis where all of the women wear the identical black clothing and Hijab to represent their belief and holiness, in Indonesia, women wear the Hijab not only to represent their belief, but also to represent how fashionable they are.

For example, many stores in Indonesia sell various models of Hijabs that women can buy and use for hair "accessories". They sell countless distinct and unique styles that even actresses use them in a fashionable way. One of them include the artist Syahrini. She models the Hijab by adding some crystals, authentic designs, and shines in order to aesthetically enhance her look. This is why I think wearing the Hijab may actually has a positive side. Maybe in the future, Marjane can realize how wearing Hijabs can be a good thing for the sake of the law and herself.














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MMS