First Muslim woman to wear hijab in magazine.
Playboy magazine is breaking stereotypes by featuring a Muslim woman wearing hijab (headscarf). The October ‘Renegades’ edition of the magazine features American journalist Noor Tagouri wearing hijab.
Tagouri is the first Muslim woman to appear in Playboy wearing a hijab in the 63-year history of the magazine. The ‘Renegades’ edition is a series that focuses on people who have risked everything to do what they love, reported The Hindustan Times.
“They’ve risked it all – even their lives – to do what they love, showing us what can be accomplished if we break the rules,” said the magazine.
According to Playboy, the series will “change how you think about business, music, porn, comedy, gaming and more.”
Born in West Virginia, Tagouri, 22, is of Libyan descent and her goal is to become the first hijab-clad woman on US television. Playboy describes her as “bad-ass activist with a passion for demanding change and asking the right questions.”
A pioneer hijabi woman in media, Tagouri wants to find a new path for women. She said that being a hijabi Muslim woman has helped her gain trust in her job.
“I know what it’s like to have the narrative of our community be skewed and exploited in the media. I was like, ‘Hey, I know what it’s like to be misrepresented in the media. I won’t do that to you. I want to tell your story because it’s important and deserves justice,” Tagouri told Playboy.
Many personalities have come forward praising Tagouri’s appearance on Playboy portraying it as positive news.
Khadija Ahmed wrote in a blog post for Huffington Post that Tagouri’s story is the most positive story about hijab, especially after the burkini ban in France.
“What Noor has done by allowing Playboy to publish her interview is she is making a wider point by being her actual self; A Muslim hijabi journalist, nothing to do with nudity or objectification,” Ahmed added.
In the meanwhile, some have raised concerns over her appearance in Playboy as they see the magazine synonymous with pornography.
“It has been at the forefront of the objectification, sexualisation and commodification of women for decades and just because they’ve softened their image, it doesn’t mean we can begin to engage with the platform and jump on board,” read an article in The Muslim Vibe, an online magazine.