A swimsuit known as the ‘Burkini’ has recently been banned in France in the last few months, Many people are becoming very upset at the recent ban, and the swimsuit is catching the attention of people across the globes. It seems a lot of this controversy has had a silver lining for the inventor of the Burkini. BBC News is reporting that recently sales of the Burkini have been increasing by a large amount. This continues some of the national recognition the swimsuit is getting.
The Burkini was created by an Australian designer. The swimsuit cleverly combines the ‘burka’ and the ‘bikini’ to create a conservative swimsuit that only shows the face, arms, and feet. BBC News also reports that creator Aheda Zanetti created the swimsuit for Australian women who wanted to remain modest while being a part of the beach culture that is very popular there. Zanetti states that the swimsuit represents freedom and choice for women.
BBC News is also reporting that sales of the swimsuit have increased by about 200% since the controversy started. The increase has been due mostly to online orders. The design was initially inspired by the decision the country made to ban hijabs in public schools in an effort to discourage the spread of Islam in the school system.
The ban was placed due to recent terror attacks in France over the past few years. The attacks have been tied to individuals and organizations that are trying to use extreme interpretations of the Islamic faith to justify their radical actions. Many people take the swimsuit to signify a connection to the attacks and its presence on French beaches is making many people uncomfortable. While the ban will only be in place until the end of August, many people still feel like the ban is not fair to Muslims and the women who prefer to keep their bodies covered while enjoying the beach atmosphere.
Women have been fighting for years for the right to wear what they want. Women who chose to dress conservatively have just as much a right to wear what they want as women who chose to dress proactively. The government of France should take that into consideration before mandating the fashion choices of Muslim women.
