Christabel Duah
As brands are increasingly focused on promoting inclusivity, L’Oréal is making no exceptions. The beauty brand featured its first hijab-wearing model in its latest hair campaign, but some people are wondering if it’s necessary.
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Amena Khan, a British beauty blogger, was a model in the brand’s new Elvive hair campaign, along with a several other models.
In it, she says, “Whether or not your hair is on display, doesn’t affect how much you care about it,” while donning a pink hijab in front of a bright background.
“When I take off my scarf, I want my hair to be more radiant — don’t we all?” she wrote in an Instagram post about the campaign.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd7WvmhHb4r/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_ufi
Khan spoke to Vogue about the importance of the campaign, noting that although she wears a headscarf in public, she spends time without it at home and considers hair care an important part of self-care.
“You have to wonder – why is it presumed that women that don’t show their hair don’t look after it?” she told the publication. “The opposite of that would be that everyone that does show their hair only looks after it for the sake of showing it to others. And that mindset strips us of our autonomy and our sense of independence. Hair is a big part of self-care.”
One person replied to the ad, calling it “absurd” to sell hair products without showing hair.
“…Needless to say it is absurd to show [a] woman covering her hair in an add [sic] about hair products….inclusivity gone a bit far!
Saudi TV started this trend, needless to say it is absurd to show woman covering her hair in an add about hair products…. inclusivity gone a bit far!
— Abeer Mishkhas عبير مشخص (@Abeer1_mishkhas) January 19, 2018
While some agreed with the commenter, others felt that the campaign is necessary due to its representation of the Muslim community.
One Twitter user wrote, “LOVE this campaign! Women who wear hijab definitely care about taking care of their hair & have to actually work harder to keep it healthy under the scarf.”
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LOVE this campaign! Women who wear hijab definitely care about taking care of their hair & have to actually work harder to keep it healthy under the scarf. @amenaofficial https://t.co/kFFDvcUxwG
— Riham Osman (@Riham_Osman) January 18, 2018
Great @lorealparis ad about acknowledging that women in hijab also care about their hair… and that there special products they need from serums to special clips…
@Loreal https://t.co/lszxwyvqQi— Muna AbuSulayman منى (@abusulayman) January 18, 2018
The ad is definitely a step towards embracing diversity — in addition to having Khan, it features women of all ages and hair types.
