Why Malaysian singer Yuna refused to remove her hijab to sell music
The music industry has been using the “sex sells” tactic to promote women artists for decades. It seems as though the less a singer wears, the more albums many executives believe they can peddle. While every woman should have agency over her body and image, not everyone feels empowered enough to speak up for themselves. However, Yuna didn’t succumb to the pressure to fit into the stereotypical box of a successful artist, specifically when it comes to wearing her hijab.
As a Muslim girl in Malaysia, Yuna tells Yahoo Lifestyle, “faith is a huge part of her family and growing up.” But as a teen, she did experiment with her style and wore short skirts, tank tops, as well as pink and red hair.
It wasn’t until she took a trip to Cairo, Egypt and saw other young Muslim women embracing their religion through style that she realized she too could wear the hijab and still do the things she wanted to do.
