The Burkini, a swimsuit worn by mostly Muslim women, has been banned by over 30 beach towns in the south of France. The ban has sparked international outrage by the Muslim community and women everywhere. The swimsuit was invented by Australian designer Aheda Zanetti, and it covers the wearer from head to toe, only leaving out the feet, hands, and face. Its purpose was to give women, specifically Muslim women, a garment that frees them and gives them full range of motion when swimming and playing sports. French officials claim that the ban comes in response to growing concern of terror attacks- the most recent being in Nice, where a truck rampage killed more than 80 civilians. However, this response is not only Islamophobic, but also sexist, in that it limits what women can wear- or not wear- in public.
This policy is the result of Islamophobia during an era of paranoia that causes people, or in this case, officials, to do irrational things and enact irrational policies that do nothing to address the problem of terrorism within the country. French society has a reputation for discriminating against Muslims, especially Muslim women, who are generally easy to seek out because of their tendency to wear the hijab, or traditional head scarf, which was also banned in France in 2010 due to its negative connotation with terrorism. This policy however, does nothing but further target Muslim women for no reason other than their religion, and make them feel persecuted in a country in which they already face discrimination. It is a policy that divides people and incites anger, when the government should be working to promote unity and acceptance.
This body-policing however, is nothing new.
Whether its burkinis on the beach or the showing of bra straps in public schools, women in general are often policed on the basis of what they choose to wear. If a woman is sexually assaulted she is asked what she was wearing, women everywhere get harassed in public if they happen to be wearing a dress or skirt, or dare to show any skin. If a woman is wearing a hijab, she is often judged or harassed as well. Just recently, a woman was denied re-entry into a six flags theme park because the male security guard thought the v-neck t-shirt she was wearing was inappropriate, but the female guard that let her in earlier that day didn't seem to have a problem with it. Girls in public schools across the country are protesting their school's sexist dress codes in which they're required by their schools to cover themselves up instead of the school teaching boys to not objectify women. The burkini ban is yet another policy that limits the freedoms of women, and it does nothing to counteract terrorism.
When does it end? Will the sexism ever stop? Will women ever be able to control what they wear without facing any negative consequences from it?
France's highest administrative court has since suspended the ban, condemning it as discriminatory and intolerant, but French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and former president Nicholas Sarkozy, who plans to run again, are both in support of the ban, and plan to make it a national policy.
The burkini ban is just one demonstration of western society's Islamophobic and sexist attitudes. Hopefully one day we will all live in total equality and acceptance of one another regardless of race, religion, sexuality, or gender... but we have a lot of work to do.
