He’s been quiet for a while, but Daft Old Duffer is now back. Ed
Hostility against the face veil is growing steadily in the west. Both Belgium and France are intent on banishing it from their shores. And now it seems some here want us to follow suit.
To do so would I believe be an entirely wrong move.
To begin with, the number of ladies wearing them in England is minute. And the handful that have been asked their views on the subject – despite the almost desperate wish by the interviewer that they admit to dreadful oppression – invariably insist they do so of their own free will.
So the ones thinking they are doing the liberating, will in fact, be the ones doing the oppressing.
In any case disapproval emitting from on high will have the opposite effect from that intended.
Been there before
We have only to look back at what happened when such disapproval was broadcast against the bovver boot, the outrageous hairstyles and the pins through noses of the punk era.
Not only did their usage increase, they sashayed quickly into fashion items. As did trainers paraded as evening wear, laddered tights, ripped jeans and strangely coloured lipstick. And hoods.
So with the face veil. Immediately those set above us condemn it the young will adopt it as a symbol of defiance. And from there it will move on to become a fashion item desired by all. It won’t remain plain black, but it will still be a veil. And there will be at least one in every fashionista wardrobe in the land.
Just like the miniskirt. I seem to recall that too was once loudly condemned as being an outrage against acceptable behaviour.
We don’t want that banned. Do we?
Image: Orin Zebest under CC BY 2.0
