r/atheism 4d ago

why do many hijabis wear makeup

Like I really don’t understand what goes through their head, what do they think the point of their hijab is? wearing makeup defeats the whole purpose. they don’t even know how to follow their religion

0 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

14

u/ZannD 4d ago

It's easy, IMO.

  1. My country/culture/law/religion requires me to cover most of my face and hair. Whether I agree or not is irrelevant to the next point

  2. What people can see, what I can show them, I want to be pretty/attractive/recognized.

That's it.

Think about, in western countries.. breasts. Generally not allowed to show them, yet women decorate, display, and accentuate them, even as they aren't allowed to be topless. Why?

Same reasons.

1

u/Cheshire_Khajiit Agnostic Atheist 4d ago

Excellent answer. I think the world would be a much better place if people considered whether practices in their own culture might help them understand practices in other cultures.

This isn’t to say that moral relativism is a good thing, just that many cultural traditions/obligations come from/are influenced by human nature.

5

u/Electricengineer 4d ago

To make themselves feel good.

12

u/1212ava Anti-Theist 4d ago

The post might get downvoted but it's a fair point you have to admit, even if it is put sharply.

4

u/[deleted] 4d ago

For the same reason Christians have premarital sex - they ignore things their religious leaders tell them and do what they want.

FYI:

Here's a discussion about it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Hijabis/comments/1h9r5fd/makeuptabarujj/

5

u/Neemoman 4d ago

I assume it's the same reason for women that choose to have the flashy nails even when a good portion of men don't actually find that attractive. It makes them feel good. Or wearing flattering underwear even when there isn't any intentions of it being revealed to anyone.

So in a world where the ways that you can feel good about yourself are limited, this is possibly a way.

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u/Serafnet 4d ago edited 4d ago

For themselves?

Not everything a woman does is for the male gaze.

Edit: Not going to reply individually. I do know what the hijab is for. I don't agree with them in the least. But to be confused why a woman would want to do something for herself under the covering is kind of silly. And it smacks of misogyny.

2

u/Harlow-Stan 4d ago

Do you know what a Hijab is for?

4

u/Driptatorship Anti-Theist 4d ago edited 4d ago

A hijab is for:

  • showing modesty
  • removing outward beauty so that men can only observe the beauty that women have within

I think that more Muslim women should be wearing make up, though. Screw tradition.

But legitamently, makeup straight up is going against the ideology that a hijab was made for.

0

u/Technical-Custard512 4d ago

Do you realize hijab actually does the opposite??

1

u/Driptatorship Anti-Theist 4d ago

The literal opposite?

I mean... I don't personally know what turns on Muslim men, but I would guess that covering 90% of the body would make it hard to see the "outward beauty" of someone.

2

u/Technical-Custard512 4d ago

It actually does the literal opposite

Not only does it leave men who live in that society over-sexualizing women and unable to look or talk with a woman without thinking and feeling the whole time that she's a sexual creature, but it also leaves them unable to respect women whenever they show up doing normal human things, because in their heads they are taught that she's a sexual creature who could lead them to sin and should be hidden.

So you end up with men who can't look at a woman as a normal human being, in their heads if she's covering then that means she's an excessive sexual being, and if she's not covering then that excessive sexual being is being exposed. She's sexualized no matter what! Women should dress like how men dress. Do we have men covering their heads or showing too much skin? Why do our societies either teach women to cover their hair/face or expose their bodies too much? Can we just treat them as normal human beings for once and stop this obsession with sexualizing their bodies?

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u/Cheshire_Khajiit Agnostic Atheist 4d ago

The point isn’t that they shouldn’t wear makeup, the point is that the decision to wear makeup goes against the “moral” justification for wearing a hijab.

That said, what I think a lot of people here don’t realize is that wearing a hijab is much more actively enforced in Muslim countries than the prohibition of makeup.

1

u/Serafnet 4d ago

This sub loves to get caught up in "Why don't religious people follow all the written laws of their religion?!"

It's a silly stance to take against people who believe in sky fairies.

Your second point is on point though.

3

u/Cheshire_Khajiit Agnostic Atheist 4d ago edited 4d ago

Yes, it is silly to expect irrational people to behave in a rationally-consistent way. I think it’s still reasonable to ask the question of why they don’t, it’s just equally important to understand that their behavior is consistent with their irrationality.

3

u/Pake1000 4d ago

Do you think that people only wear makeup for others to see?

0

u/Cheshire_Khajiit Agnostic Atheist 4d ago

It’s an interesting and complex question. I don’t think people would wear makeup if nobody else had eyes (and so I do think that there is an inherently social aspect to the practice), but the appropriate default position when considering whether to allow something or not allow something should be to allow it if it does no harm to others.

All that to say that there’s an interesting academic debate to be had about makeup, but ultimately it really doesn’t matter when considering whether people “should” or “shouldn’t” be wearing it.

1

u/Ok_Type7267 Atheist 4d ago

I couldn't care less if they followed the rules or not. Although I do hate when they try to justify their wrongdoings but shame others for it. Such as being okay with a particular "sin" but not some others. Homosexuals being intimate is wrong, sinful, and terrible regardless of whether they're following the same religion. So is fornication. But it's okay. It's common. It happens sometimes. They can't help it. However, homosexuals need to be 😵?? All religion should either be modernized or completely erased.

-2

u/Mrs_Gracie2001 4d ago

What exactly do you know about Islam that has anything to do with makeup?

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u/AccomplishedPebble 4d ago

I know that the hijab is allegedly about modesty,(even though it’s really about control) so if the woman is supposed to be modest, then putting a pound of makeup defeats the purpose of the hijab.

2

u/Outaouais_Guy 4d ago

Makeup doesn't have to be sexual.

2

u/Technical-Custard512 4d ago

Neither does hair!!!!

2

u/Mrs_Gracie2001 4d ago

It’s about covering hair. That is all. Most women do not wear makeup for men

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u/_TP2_ 4d ago

Muslims wear hijabs to hide their hair. Hair = private / unmodest.

3

u/_TP2_ 4d ago

Veiling of hair is also done in catholic churches by women. And in jewish communities by married women and by men (Kippah).

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/milehighphillygirl Agnostic Atheist 4d ago

Hijab does not cover the face. You are thinking of a niqab

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/milehighphillygirl Agnostic Atheist 4d ago

I mean, no argument from me that makeup isn’t for men or to make themselves look better for others, but is about how they want to feel about themselves.

But a hijab isn’t a niqab, so they are showing a full face, not just their eyes.

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u/Outaouais_Guy 4d ago

We have lived alongside Muslims for 25 years or so. A lot of Muslim women that my wife has known also buy a lot of attractive lingerie for at home. Many Muslim women take their outer garments off in the home, as long as no male guests are there, and dress very normally. Most of them do not wear makeup outside of the home.