This Illustration Perfectly Captures The Hypocrisy Of The Burkini Ban

Alice Sholl
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[Photo: Getty]

France has had controversial policies towards niqābs and face-covering veils for a while now - and the burkini (body covering swimwear designed primarily for Muslim women) is now the latest item of clothing to be banned in some areas of the country.

Supposedly introduced to protect women from oppressive practices, the ban has resulted in women being ordered by police to remove their swimwear in public, and fined for wearing covering clothing on beaches.

In response, people are beginning to call out just how hypocritical the ban is.

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[Photo: Amy Clancy]

Amy Clancy, graphic designer and press and communications manager at The Big Draw, portrayed this perfectly in her recent illustration.

Featuring three figures - one in a bikini and swimming hat, one in a wetsuit, and one in a burkini, the captions read ‘oui’ (yes) for the first, ‘oui’ for the second, and ‘non’ (no) for the last.

It shows how illogical it is that individual items of clothing can be worn (legally) individually by a woman, but how as soon as they’re worn in combination, the outfit is breaking the law.

The picture has gained more and more popularity on Twitter, with more than 200 retweets and almost 200 likes.

Meanwhile over in France, others are protesting the ban by holding a burkini beach party outside of the French embassy.

The ‘Wear What You Want Beach Party’ aims to show solidarity with Muslim women around the world as well as those in France.

Fariah Syed, one of the organisers, told Metro: “The ban on burkinis, to us, contradicts all those values that France claims to uphold – liberty, equality, and fraternity.

“If a woman is free to expose her body, why isn’t she free to cover it up?

“Women should be allowed to wear what they want, when they want.“

What do you think of the backlash towards the burkini ban? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK.

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