Noor Tagouri, a Muslim woman in a hijab who posed for playboy.
I’m a bit late to the party.
The same Noor Tagouri I used to admire for the way she defended Muslim women, the same woman who has now made me completely change my mind and fiercely oppose her way of thinking.
Posing for playboy.
I get it
I get that her intentions were not bad, I get that she didn’t do it with the aim of being ogled at by the disgusting men that read that magazine.
I get that her intentions were to show that she is a modest, strong woman and that society can’t define our success. I get that she intended to show that you can advance in life without conforming to standards of beauty.
But playboy? Is that really the place to do that? The entire reason for Playboy is to objectify women, so the only viable outcome of this is that you are encouraging men to also see Muslim women as sexy and objectifiable.
If you want to feature in a magazine, feature in a women’s magazine. Or even in a genderless magazine. But to pose and be interviewed for a magazine aimed solely at men who objectify women? Sensational.
Yeah, technically it’s a mens ‘entertainment and lifestyle’ magazine, but because this is a magazine that features naked women, the ethos of it still exists and is still attached to the ‘Playboy’ name, and thus any reader of it is disgusting. Undebatable.
I fail to understand why any self respecting woman would want to be part of such a thing. I know that a couple of other Muslim bloggers were approached for this opportunity, and they rejected it. What is the reason for trying to get a message across in a magazine that objectifies women? Someone please tell me, because I am at a loss. Why waste your time?
I don’t want this woman to represent me. She is spreading the message that Muslim women are just as viable to be on Playboy as any of these other women are, and I think it’s safe to say that most of us don’t want that. That’s literally the opposite of what we want. I don’t want to be put into that category, I would rather be cast aside for the way my appearance pushes men away than for it to suddenly be something attractive. I can be strong without having to prove it to men – I don’t want them to have an opinion of me. Because I don’t give a shit about what they think – I’m above caring about what any group of people – especially males – thinks about me.
I don’t want anybody to look at me in that way and I’m pissed off that she’s trying to represent us.
I’m pissed off that a Muslim woman was in Playboy magazine.
I’m pissed off that her justification was “I break the rules“. Because by doing this, you’re putting everyone else in a position they don’t want to be in. You know why? By posing as a Muslim woman in Playboy magazine, you are making fully covered women look even worse to Western society. The women in the abaya and niqab will be shunned further because ‘why can’t you be more liberal like the girl in playboy, clearly you’re an extremist’.
It only leads to more misunderstanding and confusion.
If you really care about Muslim women, don’t do stupid things like feature in Playboy. Imagine the young girls who are going to struggle with their Muslim identities because of women like this. Imagine the young girls who are ready to practice and do what Islam wishes of them, but are halted after seeing women like this.
Do you want to be a Western woman, or a Muslim woman? Pick one. I don’t look Western at all, and I’m living just fine. I don’t feel uncomfortable or pressured into looking like a Western woman because I’m secure enough.
“I did what so many women with inspiring messages of hope would have been uncomfortable doing because success for a woman is often predicated on what society deems appropriate for us to succeed in.”
Girl!!!! This isn’t about society! It’s about your religion!
These people are putting society at the forefront of their lives whilst disregarding the religion they’re defending; if you want to integrate into Western culture so much, then take off your hijab and leave Islam. It is that simple – nobody is forcing you to be Muslim if all you want to do is change everything about it. If you would rather break the commandments of your religion than break – or, rather, disregard – the rules of society, then it is becomes abundantly clear what you truly follow.
There is strength in unapologetically being a Muslim woman and knowing that you don’t need to change your dress and behaviour to please anybody.
There is no strength in desperately trying to fit into society.
There is no logic in trying to defend your religion by doing and defending the very things that it prohibits.
“I did it for Muslims, for women, and for everyone misrepresented in mainstream media today.”
Get out.
This woman does not represent me.
Hey Assbutt: Noor Tagouri
