Gigi Hadid has already posed for more than a dozen Vogue covers (American and international), but this is unique: Gigi is now the first-ever cover model for the very first issue of Vogue Arabia. Gigi was photographed by Inez and Vinoodh for the cover shoot, and she wears an array of hair-covering pieces, including a Brandon Maxwell-designed hijab and what’s being described as an “elaborately beaded head scarf” (also by Brandon Maxwell) for the two covers. Is that actually what we’re supposed to call it? A “head scarf”? I’m really asking, because I thought there was another word for it. This is what Gigi had to say about this cover:
“Being half-Palestinian, it means the world to me to be on the first-ever cover(s) of @voguearabia. I hope that this magazine will show another layer of the fashion industry’s desire to continue to accept, celebrate, and incorporate all people & customs and make everyone feel like they have fashion images and moments they can relate to… & learn and grow in doing so.”
I’m happy that Gigi is embracing her Palestinian roots, although I really hope she does more to represent her roots than just posing for Vogue Arabia. I mean, the girl thinks Pakistan is in the Middle East. I’m just saying, I hope she cracks open a book or two.
As for the representation of Muslim women and hijab-wearing women in the fashion and beauty industries, I think it’s a good thing. I just watched a documentary short on American Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad and I came away with how vital it is for hijab-wearing women to have more representation in the media, because so many people are too quick to otherize them and stigmatize them.
Photos courtesy of Instagram, Inez and Vinoodh for Vogue Arabia.
I bet some people (on the Internet) are not happy about it.
no doubt…but people on the internet will seek things to be unhappy about. don’t let it drag your enjoyment down 🙂
actually, unless they are being ignorant (as in literally misinformed) i hope everyone in this thread ignores any trolls. the best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them completely.
happy friday, celebitches! xxxooo
Happy Friday to you too!!
There is a lot of backlash on twitter already about this (but saying that there is backlash about everything on twitter).
I think it is absolutely stunning, really beautiful photos
Twitter is the new Inquisition. There are a lot of faux woke out there, more intolerant and hateful than the people they call out. I suspect they’re more after likes and RTs than anything else.
Anyway I find the cover is really beautiful. And it makes total sense that they used Gigi for the first cover.
Have there been any backlash tweets from Trump yet? She looks beautiful. Especially the pink and purple one
Wait, have I just stumbled into the twilight zone? I love Gigi, she seems lovely and she takes great photos but this should trouble us. Its a magazine intended for women in the Middle East and their first cover girl is a half caucasian girl with white features raised in the West who is wearing the headscarf as a fashion statement rather than as a religious or cultural symbol. This is the height of Western centering. Would it have killed Vogue to give the cover to a Middle Eastern woman? Or at the very least a muslim woman who isnt fronting with that headscarf? What message are they sending girls in that region with this? How can they expect a sense of loyalty from their target customers when the very first issue screams of Western invasion?
I just saw the DMs surprisingly decent coverage of this and they are highlighting tweets from Palestian girls calling Gigi out for suddenly remembering her Palestinian heritage now and being silent on millions of problems those people face including the continuing blockades. And Lso pointing out that just because her father and her boyfriend are muslim doesnt mean she gets to play dress up with the headscarf in a magazine intended for muslim girls.
Anyway, whether you guys see it or not. This was WRONG for the reasons above. Reflect.
“This is the height of Western centering” 100% agree. I’m just horrified (but was withholding judgment because I didn’t know anything about Vogue Arabia. Now I’m back to horrified.).
YES!! agree with you wholeheartedly.
while i agree with you on this, and shambles below, it is also a sad reality that it takes serious baby steps for the western world to accept change. if a step on that road to change (in this case: honouring fashion and beauty standards that are different, particularly because of how bent people get about hair/face covering) means utilizing a known face who carries middle eastern blood….then is that not worth standing behind? or at least not worth tearing down?
absolutely the most perfect person for this cover could would and should have been any of the millions of beautiful women, famous or not, who are middle eastern…and i can’t wait to live in a world that honours all types of beauty (inner, too!) but that world hasn’t quite arrived yet.
is it annoying and insulting to have to wait on the masses to wake up/catch up? yes. but it IS.
the palestinian women who are calling her out for using her half blood to justify posing for this cover, while not using it to assist or call attention to the actual reality of BEING palestinian in palestine NOW, is more than fair enough.
ffiw: i don’t believe in cultural appropriation unless we are dealing specifically with spiritual matters…if women start wearing head scarves because they thought gigi hadid looked gorgeous in it, and that in turn chips away at the stigma of head coverings, which in turn chips away at women who wear them being subject to harrassement…well, i can’t see that being bad. if acceptance of women’s fashion choice, period, and women’s personal choices, period, come with a price tag of a woman who has nepotism and a westernized experience of half her lineage, does the long game not make that worthwhile?
What Den said. x100000
Think about the narrative being put forth. In a world where historically women have been shamed for wearing a hijab or assumed to be associated with terror, but when a white American model wears one, it’s beautiful and glamorous. -_-
Agree with you Den.
t, in a world where historically women have been shamed for wearing hijab and associated with terrorism BY THE WESTERN world, does it not shift things to have that same world view it as beautiful and glamorous?
if the point is for beauty acceptance and beauty diversity…and if the world wants to maintain this idea that the west is definitive (which i don’t get, to be honest, but it IS), then how is it not moving forward (if even at a snails pace) to utilize someone known to accomplish that?
the most positive and ideal narrative would be to simply put a middle eastern woman on that cover. but is that going to shift some of the closed eyes and minds over here? no. and yes, very aware of the irony of a middle eastern vogue still catering to westerners…but again if we are to deal with the world and reality we actually inhabit as opposed to what should be, then i feel in balance this cover could help women face less stigma and less harrassment.
As an Arab, I will never understand American thinking on race. Just like Latinos, Arabs come in all races: black, white, and brown. Gigi is white. Her Arab family, well-known and wealthy, is a white Arab family. She is not a POC nor is she “white passing”. She’s another white model on the cover of another magazine. The only thing of note in the battle for diversity here is that it is the first ever edition of Vogue Saudi.
Putting a white model on a cover is not groundbreaking. It is not shattering ceilings or diversifying in the least. Granted, she is a half-Arab model, but please do not pretend that this is incredible progress. America must sometimes view the outside world without its American glasses on.
[side note: although Islam is the majority religion in the Middle East, there are religious minorities that also live and thrive. However, this magazine is Vogue Saudi Arabia, where no faith other than Islam is allowed to be practiced and citizens must be Muslim (foreign workers are not citizens, neither are expatriates). For this reason also Gigi is an odd choice of model for their debut. A hijabi model would have been a better choice for diversity, for the target audience and for putting a statement out with their first cover, but, obviously Gigi is much more famous than any hijabi or non-white Arab model is ever likely to be]
Yeah I looked at this and immediately thought, how is this different than Karlie Kloss in her Geisha makeup or an editorial with a model a “fashion” headdress?
yes, fatima, north america CANNOT view the outside world without its north american glasses on.
so with that truth firmly in place, do you agree that having less stigma and harrassment for women who wear hijab HERE is worthwhile? and could using her as the model lead to that?
incredible progress is not going to happen in north america anytime soon. heck, incredible progress looks less and less likely for HUMANS period.
all i am trying to point out is that for women who wear hijab in north america, or other westernized parts of the world, will likely see more acceptance of their choice because of this cover.
not saying it is awesome. not saying it is shattering anything but (hopefully) western intolerance.
in case it isn’t clear, my base hope is that the women around me (canada) do not get harrassed or bothered because they wear hajib. if gigi hadid wearing one is what it takes for the stigma to drop off some, then i don’t see this as bad.
i am curious as to why vogue made the decision to have her on the cover, and am curious to see how they choose to approach the second cover, and forward.
@Kay How patronising. Do you think I would disagree with less harrasment? And why must everything be so centred on the good of North America, particularly when it concerns a magazine that is not an American focussed venture? Can you not educate yourselves when it comes to treating hijabis well or something? Do you need the vessel of Gigi Hadid in a costume to do it?
Anyway, many thanks for you to explaining to me, a hijabi who has been harassed, how nice it would be for a hijabi to not get harrassed, whether they are in Amman, Montreal or Riyadh, and how Gigi Hadid will lead the revolution by normalising the hijab in the eyes of north Americans despite, you know, not actually being a hijabi. Progress is indeed great! Blessings for lifting the veil from my Arab-centred eyes and placing that now ornamental veil (temporarily, symbolically) on the head of Gigi! /s
However, I just don’t think that this will do any of what you hope it will. And you missed my other points. For me, it is a missed opportunity to put an actual hijabi or niqabi model or non-white Arab model on the cover of a magazine primarily, apparently, targeted for the Middle East. Vogue Saudi Arabia does not have much sway in America or Canada, and most people in those countries will not be paying heed too much to this version of Vogue other than this one off furore of “hot girl in a hijab”. That actual hijabis have been vocal about their annoyance at this cover gives you some indication as to how unimpressive this cover is.
If anything, to me, this cover just highlights the paucity of opportunity given to hijabis and non-White Arabs. People fall over themselves to fawn over a a white model wearing a costume on the cover of a magazine whose consumers will not see ourselves reflected on the cover. It could have been a breakthrough. But, as you say, change doesn’t seem to be forthcoming.
i am grateful for your time and perspective, fatima.
As a half-Arab woman from a Muslim background, like Gigi, these comments are really bothering me. Just because I ‘pass’ and don’t practice Islam day-to-day, doesn’t make me any less of a member of my community. I have every right to participate in my culture and share it. So does Gigi. No purity tests required.
Also, this is just the first issue. She won’t be on every cover.
As a half Lebanese woman who has never worn a hijab in the US, nor has any member of family, I would never, ever presume to wear the veil as a fashion statement.
She’s half Arab, not just half white or whatever you want to call her.
I think she looks absolutely beautiful.
You do realize there are christians and Jews in the middle east, right? And how do you know Gigi isn’t Muslim?
There are only 3 famous models with Arabic heritage worldwide, so it totally makes senses they would use one of them for the launch. It’s only the first cover – there are going to be many more with other models. Plus I know many Arabic women with white features, green eyes, etc. – why pretend all Arabic women are brown with black eyes and black hair? They only used Gigi to make an impact worldwide for the launch – they wouldn’t have had the same coverage if they had used a Middle-Eastern model unknown internationally.
@fatima and @den
thank you so much for your comments. I was so incensed by the pictures that I couldn’t even articulate.
Another thing that annoys me is the second picture in which her eyes and face are partially obscured by that opaque jewelled cloth and her (beautiful!) shoulders and arms are showing. It reminds me of that scene in Aladdin of sexy Arab woman wearing filmy pieces of cloth over their faces and dancing sensually around Aladdin…talk about a bastardization of my religion.
The entire idea of hijab is modesty. Not draping yourself in black cloth, but conducting yourself with dignity and modesty. People can argue day in and day out about whether that is easy or fair, but at the very least we can agree that hijab is not about women being inherently ”sinful” or too sexy. And then you see depictions of us wearing hijab and dancing around half naked, or wearing a face covering with tons of eyeliner, smouldering at the camera as in the second picture of Gigi. The west deserves an eyeroll x infinity for their hypocrisy in their dealings with our religions and our cultures.
I got schooled in the fact that women can embrace the hijab or burque, and it’s a choice. I used to see it as a symbol of oppression and automatically assumed all women were forced to wear these. IT’s so healthy to embrace fashion as a choice. Hannity fans go at it, but I feel this is an advance for all cultures.
oh i am glad you posted this. i saw the cover shot the other day and thought it was so beautiful.
I think so too. She has very expressive eyes.
I like the cover but I’m not a fan of the other photo. Too much makeup for my taste.
Yeah, not so much. She’s getting roasted on instagram.
I’ve heard several people with Pakistani ancestry refer to themselves as ‘middle eastern’.
The middle east is still in Asia.
And there is a lot of middle eastern influence in Pakistan.
But i think this is just a debate about what Asian region Pakistan is in.
And some Pakistanis just don’t want to refer to their country as in the INDIAN subcontinent of Asia.
Daz London:
Pakistan’s language is Urdu, which is phonetically similar to Hindi.
Pakistanis wear saris, and have red as a bridal colour too (as in the rest of South Asia). Pakistanis are familiar with Bollywood films, and their cuisine is closer to Indian cuisine than Middle eastern cuisine. There is an Islamic influence in Pakistan, obviously, but to say there is ” a lot of Middle Eastern influence” could be a stretch.
I never said that Pakistan was unrelated to India.
Just that many Pakistanis i know have a deep hostility to India.
And prefer to identify in another direction.
I want to direct everyone to Harpers Bazaar Arabia, which actually celebrated 10 years recently with three Arab models on the cover.
http://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/editorials/see-shanina-shaik-hind-sahli-and-hanaa-ben-abdesslem-on-our-march-cover
I hate that Vogue is acting like they are the only source of fashion in the Arab world.
Vogue acts like that in every country.
This is good to know. I’m very sure the people praising this would have a fit if they lived in a restrictive world and a major fashion magazine brand entered the market but did so using a covergirl raised elsewhere and who they had little in common with on the first cover, effectively snubbing the local talent, appropriating their religion or culture and sending a message about aspirational beauty.
Agree !
thank you for that link!!!
I found out the other day that some people on the internet are really mad at Gigi Hadid, and the fans which consider her their “woke Arabian princess.” Lol
My only issue is that her eye makeup is up to her eyebrows and it looks godawful.
Actually, no. I will say this. I think the representation of hijab-wearing women in fashion is vital. I don’t think Gigi Hadid is the best person to do it.
+100000 on everything
shambles, i commented above. not sure if i have clearly articulated what i am trying to express. would appreciate if you want to weigh in at all 🙂
I think these are really gorgeous pictures.
Come back to me when Halima Aden gets the cover and a huge spread inside the magazine.
I will say that the black and white shot is beautiful. She and her sister are much better at print than runway shows. Her sister has a slack-jawed expression while walking that makes her look like she says “duh’ or is dumbfounded alot.
Lastly: Not all Muslimas wear hijabs. For some woman, the hijab is forced on them, for others, it is a choice to wear it. There are many devout Muslimas in the world who have either never worn it or no longer wear it for several reasons.
Yes, agreed with you. I always think if God wanted me to cover my hair, why give me hair. So I always found it weird and always joke Muslim men are afraid of my hair. I have no issues if Muslimahs want to wear it out of their own accord. I have issues if it’s because of societal pressure or pressure from men that think hijabis are so called purer. No.
I always laugh when I see Facebook posts that wearing the hijab is not oppressing women and that it is a choice. Yes, that can be true. But can you also accept that not wearing the hijab is also not oppressing women and also my own choice? Most of the Muslims I know are uncomfortable discussing this. I’m in South East Asia by the way. The problem with Islam sometimes is there’s too much confluence with Arabic paternalistic culture.
That are pretty much my thoughts: why is the hair of women “dirty” (tempts men) and must be hidden and not vice versa? This is very archaic and a patriarchal viewpoint. So this spreading in the western world does not make me happy.
Do you ever question why Catholic nuns also keep their hair covered? Why do so many people have no issue with nuns being fully covered head to toe but then when they see a Muslim women with pretty much the exact same thing on, they act as if the woman is oppressed.
….but nuns aren’t the average practising Catholic though? They’re members of specific religious orders who choose to live under vows of chastity (no marrying), poverty (no personal property) and obedience (to the order). This is not the case with other practising Catholics.
Comparing nun habits and headgear to hijabs is a false equivalency because women who wear hijabs are just regular practising Muslims, not, well, nuns.
@teacakes
But that still doesn’t answer my question. Why do people not have an issue with nuns being covered from head to toe but have an issue with some Muslim women doing the same? It just makes no sense. They are both women practicing a religion. Nuns get a “pass” from some because they are from a specific order? Nope, sorry doesn’t fly with me.
@ me: people don’t comment about nuns because nuns are not regular people.
Simple as that.
why do people bring nuns or middle aged dressing to counter argue someone who points out that sometimes HIjab is forced on women by the society!
How is 14th century dressing, or dressing of world renouncing ascetics be compared to the dressing of an average female ?
@me Yes. I’d also add there are many cultures and religions that call for the covering of the hair, you can ask why of course and determine if it makes sense (to you). For some, it is also a dress code, for example, you keep it covered during religious ceremonies or at religious places of worship but in secular settings you are still the same person without a hijab. You can also ask how the dress code came about of course and then determine if it makes sense to you again. Personally, I am also aware of hijabis who don the hijab for themselves. That is also fine. My problem is when women don it to be a more acceptable Muslim or a more acceptable wife, not for themselves. I face this pressure. That reasoning is not cutting it for me, regardless of religion. Overall, I find it problematic when patriarchal society dictates if a skirt is too short or hair is seductive. This is different from dress codes in say, professional settings.
except woman in saudia arabia can’t leave their homes without their husbands! my egytian friend said that is horrible, I went to Egypt and it’s much better than Saudia Arabia, there women are seconds citizen . and no,… they cant war make up.
the best countries to be woman are Egypt and Lebanon.
I have 8 Muslim female friends- 4 Egyptian, 2 Bosnian, and 2 Ethiopian. None of them cover their hair and all are very info fashion and beautiful women! But I do wonder about this topic s lot. I’d love to know more and read more on the Middle East. I’ve got to think there’s such an interplay of politics, hardliners, moderates, and liberals. Is Vogue really allowed in SA and not considered haram? I’m aware of all the malls etc for women in SA. Just curious because of all the makeup etc- it draws attention, even if hair is covered, so I wonder about why bother covering hair if attention is drawn through clothing and makeup. <- also what my friends have told me, and these friends do not know each other, so theyre separate views.
I just don’t understand this saudi arabia thing, because women there are not as free as Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, even Iran. Saudi Arabia is the one of the worst countries to be women.
Women can leave the house without a male chaperone. They can’t travel without permission from a male guardian if that’s what you mean, and they can’t drive, but they can certainly leave their home alone and do normal things like study or work or shop or visit friends.
And they can wear make-up as the rules on that are vague. Most women wear a little, and many wealthier women are completely plastered in the stuff.
She’s beautiful, of course. The headgear like a scarf is common in many parts of the globe but the covering from head to foot is something I question. Some wear it, not by force OR fashion statement, but for sincere traditional and religious reasons. I wonder, however, if these women have more in common with the Kellyanne’s of the world who are “white and free” but have cloaks and barriers they can’t see. I am also reminded of a majority of Saudi Arabian woman who prefer being driven around by men and don’t want driver’s licenses. There is comfort in familiar chains that bind us and sometimes we reject and fear the responsibilities of being truly free.
Gee, Gigi….the photo of her in the pinks and purples is like a piece of art. Surprised me. Sorry Kaiser, you say she’s dumb as a rock, but I double dog dare that rock to look as gorgeous. She’s doing her job and doing it well.
Her face is not equipped to handle all that heavy makeup. It’s wearing her.
Disagree. These are beauty shots and that’s what they do. However, she could wash her face clean of the makeup and those eyes still pull you in. I think she’s stunning.
I am still digesting how I feel about this. Part of me wonders if it would have been a better choice to chose a model who isn’t a blonde American. But, she is a top model, so hmm. I don’t know.
The jeweled head scarf is incredibly beautiful. I am blown away by the beauty of it.
Actually there are a lot of natural blonde, blue eyed gals in the Middle East. Esp. Palestinian and Syrian women. If anything, she looks more Arab to me than white American. I’ve grown up with a lot of Palestinian, Syrian and Iraqi women and she would fit right in. Love the cover and the images, but agree that Vogue is late to the game.
There’s a stunning black Muslim model that just signed with ( I think) elite. She actually wears a hijab always but I don’t think she’s Arabic or middle eastern. It kind of makes sense to choose a big model like Gigi who has middle eastern roots.
These photos are stunning.I don’t really get when people act as if shes as undeserving of her modelling career as Kendall. She’s got a face you remember and is quite versatile, she can look quite all American in some photos only to look excotic in the next photo.
I think Gigi totally deserves her career. She is stunning, and unique looking. Kendall is a completely different story, I find her attractive, but not unique in any way.
Deserved her career? You do know how she got there? Rich parents , famous friends, and a bunch of teens on social media!
I find Kendall extremely annoying looking.
I’m just thankful it isn’t Karlie Kloss in a hijab.
Many people mostly non-muslims, even some muslims mistakes hijab for just a dress or head cover for women only. But it is completely wrong. Hijab is a must both for man and woman. Hijab means protection. It doesn’t mean only to cover head. If a man looks at a woman with lustful gaze with wrong intention he has no hijab for his heart or his eyes. Same goes for woman. Actually in Quran, it has been ordered first to man to maintain hijab, then it was ordered to woman. It is a must for man to maintain hijab which sadly many man don’t and think only women should maintain it. Of course those man are not proper muslims.
Women are opressed all over the world regarsless their religion. But hijab is not an oppression. Borkha which is a very similar dress as nuns wear are worn by muslim woman. If nuns are not opressed then it is unwise to think muslim women are too.
And yes in Saudi Arab women are oppressed because of malpractice of Islam. During the time of prophet Muhammad(pbuh) women went out easily, they rode camals (which can be taken as today’s car), took part in war alongside man.
Ive read that Muhammad demanded women wear face coverings because his 2nd wife Aisha was at a party and another man was flirting with her or looking at her in an inappropriate manner. Why did they have so much freedom only to have it taken away because he was jealous? Is this true? I read this from a book called Mother of the Believers.
You can keep it it in your pants… no matter what. We are not animals.
Yikes! I hope youre not responding to me. I’m asking this as a serious question.
No…. it was meant for the defender of: we need to be covered up or might got eyefucked.
If she is the firsts ever cover girl what did they used to put on their covers? Or is this a new magazine? I’m confused.
@rabab your comments and assumptions show the issues here.
1) Nothing wrong respecting religion and religious places of worship by covering up. Nothing wrong being a good wife. Nothing wrong if both husband and wife share the same consensus. Nothing wrong wearing a hijab. Nothing wrong not wearing one. Wearing a hijab was to follow the Prophet’s wives as an example. It is not mandatory. It has been interpreted endlessly.
2) You based your level of devotion to Islam, to marriage and not to mention a woman’s worth to men, on her clothing. Is there nothing else to a woman and to a marriage?
3) You assume men are the worst and they have to be protected from seduction, not by changing their mindsets, but by women covering themselves. Really? It’s 2017.
4) Pretty much and yet again, some Muslims cannot discuss this rationally without jumping on each other. Unpopular opinion but I get this denial most of the time. Luckily, I have Muslim friends that can still discuss this with myself. Also I’m happy when they’re happy donning the hijab for themselves. The most important thing is mindset, not hair.
This is great! Love that vogue is available in the middle east now. Such beautiful fashions available.
Lovely covers. I hope that westerners don’t get the impression that every Muslim woman wears a hijab and/or an abaya. I’m a Muslim woman and i don’t wear a hijab, don’t intend to and I personally think hijab is a remnant of Arabian traditional wear- not necessarily an Islamic traditional wear. There’s a difference. But now hijab is largely associated with Islam. The Quran exhorts women to dress with modesty; however, what outfits exactly constitute modesty is open to interpretation, as I believe.
To the writer : Gigi said she’s half Palestinian not half Pakistanian, which are not the same, at all. So Gigi is not dumb, Palestine IS in the Middle-east.
Erm, check your reading comprehension: Gigi referred to her boyfriend, who IS Pakistani, as being “middle Eastern”.
Why bother having this girl represent a group of people? She has never in her entire life wore a hajib or practice the culture. Just because she’s half Arab, everyone assumes that is her culture. Let me tell you that there are many people who are Half of something but do not practice the culture. Stop letting women like her represent, get a normal girl off the streets who does it every day. I’m sick of these rich girls who get to “represent” a group of women that they can’t even relate to.
What is weird is: the hijab is not so much a cultural but more a religious object (even though I understand religion can be counted as a part of a culture). I mean the point is, even though she is Palestinian, she isn’t Muslim, right? So this is not a case of embracing her roots, since she doesn’t have anything to do with it???