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Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says - Islam for Muslims - Nairaland

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Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by tbaba12345: 12:58pm On Sep 11, 2014
Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have a Better Body Image, Study Says

In one of the most tasteless scenes in the terrible Sex and the City 2, Carrie and co. finally recognize the humanity of the women of Abu Dhabi when they remove their hijabs and reveal the Western designer outfits they’re wearing underneath. Crass though SATC’s gimmick may be, it’s representative of an attitude that’s widespread in the West: The veil is a symbol of oppression. Most can’t imagine any upsides to wearing one.

New research might make Westerners question that assumption. A study published in the August edition of the British Journal of Psychology suggests that the hijab actually offers some protection against the body dissatisfaction that plagues many Western women. A team of psychologists, led by Malaysian-born British psychologist Viren Swami at the UK’s University of Westminster, interviewed 587 Muslim women in London, 369 of whom regularly wore some sort of hijab. Their ages ranged from 18 to 70; the mean age was 27. The majority—about 79 percent—were unmarried, and they represented several ethnic groups—Bengali, Pakistani, Indian, and Arab. More than three-quarters held an undergraduate degree.

Swami and his team gave the women several tests to measure their attitudes toward their bodies—and the women who wore Western dress scored higher on every scale of body dissatisfaction. When subjects were asked to look at several sketches of women’s bodies and pick the one they would most like to have, the choices of the women who wore the hijab more closely resembled the bodies they actually possessed. On a measure of “drive for thinness”—determined by answers to questions about preoccupation with body weight, fear of becoming fat, and excessive concern with dieting—women who didn’t wear the hijab scored, on average, 3.58 out of 6 points, compared to 2.87 for women who cover up. Women who wore Western dress also registered a higher degree of “social physique anxiety,” or concern with how others perceived their physical appearance: 3.26, versus 2.92, on the 6-point scale.

Women in Western dress were also more likely to deem various forms of media an “important source of information about being attractive.” And they scored higher on a measure of the degree to which they accepted as normal unrealistic ideals of beauty (3.09 versus 2.43). Women in hijabs also spent less time engaging in “appearance-management behaviors,” and ranked their own appearance as less important than did women who wore Western clothes.

The researchers concluded that it wasn’t just the womens' faith that was making them less susceptible to idealized depictions of beauty. “It might thus be concluded that use of the hijab offers Muslim women a small protective effect in terms of their body image … the use of the hijab may act as a buffer against negative body image,” write the authors. The veil, in other words, might be oppressive—but so are unrealistic beauty standards.

Of course, all this evokes a sense of a conservative argument for the hijab: "The hijab is not a proscription or a burden—just look at the benefits!" I asked Swami if he had any discomfort with this impression, and he told me, "We’re not making a judgment” one way or the other. “We’re certainly not saying that everyone should be wearing a hijab.”

And there might be any number of other reasons for the disparity in self-image between the cohort of women who wear the hijab and those who don't. Perhaps cultural factors related, but not directly derived from the prevalence of the hijab, affect how women talk about their bodies. In societies where the hijab is more prevalent, many choices are foreclosed to women, and that may affect how they conceive of and talk about their bodies.

Other bodily pressures may actually manifest more strongly in women who wear the hijab. Because their figures are less visible, they may feel more pressure relating to their faces. Per capita rates of nose jobs in Iran are seven times what they are in the U.S.; the country has even been called the “nose job capital of the world.” The cosmetics industry is booming in the Arab world.

Though they may confer some collateral benefits on wearers, hijabs can’t exactly be promoted as a solution for body anxieties.

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119378/hijab-can-improve-body-image

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Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by maclatunji: 6:33am On Sep 12, 2014
I see the distress many women go through everyday with their fake air, nails, lashes etc. They seem never to be satisfied with their fake looks, yet they collectively spend billions of dollars every year on these accessories. As a man, my thoughts do not get dominated by the perception of how I look and I agree that women who use hijab will for the most part not bother about it too since they are not exposed to the public gaze in terms of their looks and are not subjected to popular but dubious notions of what beauty is.

5 Likes

Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by AbdH: 9:42am On Sep 12, 2014
maclatunji: I see the distress many women go through everyday with their fake air, nails, lashes etc. They seem never to be satisfied with their fake looks, yet they collectively spend billions of dollars every year on these accessories. As a man, my thoughts do not get dominated by the perception of how I look and I agree that women who use hijab will for the most part not bother about it too since they are not exposed to the public gaze in terms of their looks and are not subjected to popular but dubious notions of what beauty is.

Hair = fake

Eyebrows = fake

Eyelashes = fake

Eyes = fake colour

Lips = fake colour

Fingernails = fake (even tigers keep in their claws except when they want to hunt)

Toenails = fake

Complexion = fake

A decent original life is better than a fake expensive life. Muslim women do not know how much Allah has blessed them. Hijab is good, hijab is beautiful.

4 Likes

Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by greetings(f): 9:52am On Sep 12, 2014
I can relate to this, especially when I see friends or colleagues making efforts to powder or fix their face when make up is wearing off. They r certainly not contented with their natural look. Its like they are slaves to these cosmetics companies. Its like being possessed. I dunno, but I don't envy them one bit.
my hijab is my cosmetics n I am addicted, I feel naked without it. Proud hijabite!

8 Likes

Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by stevolinkon40: 11:45am On Sep 12, 2014
None of my business
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by akpanikpe(m): 11:48am On Sep 12, 2014
AbdH:

Hair = fake

Eyebrows = fake

Eyelashes = fake

Eyes = fake colour

Lips = fake colour

Fingernails = fake (even tigers keep in their claws except when they want to hunt)

Toenails = fake

Complexion = fake

A decent original life is better than a fake expensive life. Muslim women do not know how much Allah has blessed them. Hijab is good, hijab is beautiful.
Boobs and backyard actificial.

1 Like

Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by pricelessJ(f): 11:56am On Sep 12, 2014
[color=#770077][/color]wetin concern me
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by pricelessJ(f): 11:57am On Sep 12, 2014
wetin concern me
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by ikon123(m): 12:04pm On Sep 12, 2014
thatz y i hate mini skirt chickz....luv my 6terz in islan

2 Likes

Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by Nobody: 12:07pm On Sep 12, 2014
I do not subscribe to the way our women have recourse to artificial accessories to enhance their beauty. To me; it leaves a sour taste in the mouth. They end up looking like women of easy virtue and tramps. May be, this is why more and more men are losing respect for ladies cos how you dress/look is how you'd be addressed.


That said, I hope that one day, the wearing of Hijab should be a matter of convinction and not compulsion. I see the Ninja looking types with babies straddled to their backs and hidden inside the thick Hijab under hot sun. What happens to the right and health of these babies to air?

1 Like

Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by ogirma: 12:15pm On Sep 12, 2014
This research is just saying or portraying what quran have highlighted over 300yrs ago.
The sexuality of a lady is appreciated when covered. A Lil example dose dat a been raped in most country take a look of their mode of dressing u will see that dose with hijab have a low rate of been sexuality violated

2 Likes

Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by Nobody: 12:20pm On Sep 12, 2014
20pounds: I do not subscribe to the way our women have recourse to artificial accessories to enhance their beauty. To me; it leaves a sour taste in the mouth. They end up looking like women of easy virtue and tramps. May be, this is why more and more men are losing respect for ladies cos how you dress/look is how you'd be addressed.


That said, I hope that one day, the wearing of Hijab should be a matter of convinction and not compulsion. I see the Ninja looking types with babies straddled to their backs and hidden inside the thick Hijab under hot sun. What happens to the right and health of these babies to air?
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by AbdH: 12:39pm On Sep 12, 2014
akpanikpe:
Boobs and backyard actificial.

I tell you.
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by lovinhubby2wife(m): 12:40pm On Sep 12, 2014
men are from earth and women are from mars. ''simple fact''
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by brightlomo(m): 12:41pm On Sep 12, 2014
who ever remove this post frm front page should send it back nah.
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by lovinhubby2wife(m): 12:43pm On Sep 12, 2014
.
20pounds: I do not subscribe to the way our women have recourse to artificial accessories to enhance their beauty. To me; it leaves a sour taste in the mouth. They end up looking like women of easy virtue and tramps. May be, this is why more and more men are losing respect for ladies cos how you dress/look is how you'd be addressed.
That said, I hope that one day, the wearing of Hijab should be a matter of convinction and not compulsion. I see the Ninja looking types with babies straddled to their backs and hidden inside the thick Hijab under hot sun. What happens to the right and health of these babies to air?
. Hmm i agree with you on that.
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by AbdH: 12:45pm On Sep 12, 2014
ogirma: This research is just saying or portraying what quran have highlighted over 300yrs ago.
The sexuality of a lady is appreciated when covered. A Lil example dose dat a been raped in most country take a look of their mode of dressing u will see that dose with hijab have a low rate of been sexuality violated

We Muslims truly appreciate it but I believe it is more of being respected by all.
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by kandiikane(m): 1:33pm On Sep 12, 2014
Wait, a measly 0.34 difference is what they mean by better? Why won't they feel better when they have to cover the head body and faces so people won't see what they look like and be judged. Makes sense na.
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by Zizicardo(f): 2:20pm On Sep 12, 2014
ALHAMDULILLAH 'ALAA NI'MATUL ISLAAM
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by Nobody: 2:51pm On Sep 12, 2014
Im proud to be a muslim because we r nt fake.

1 Like

Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by Nobody: 2:54pm On Sep 12, 2014
who took this away from front page?
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by Dahy(m): 7:49pm On Sep 12, 2014
TrollMan: In Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, women use hijab to bomb and kill people. They usually disguise themselves inside this as suicide bombers. Is that the body Image?
and u call does wanz Muslims?....get d pure picture clear Bro and stop blabbing, Islam is beautiful dat y our women are wonderfully created
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by Herrmes: 8:42pm On Sep 12, 2014
That stuff automatically repels me, not just that,.it disgusts me too, no offense
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by AbdH: 9:28pm On Sep 12, 2014
Herrmes: That stuff automatically repels me, not just that,.it disgusts me too, no offense

Really? I'm not surprised. It gives me joy that it repels someone like you. It does a good job keeping harm away anyway.

5 Likes

Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by Herrmes: 10:12pm On Sep 12, 2014
AbdH:

Really? I'm not surprised. It gives me joy that it repels someone like you. It does a good job keeping harm away anyway.
Gives you joy? I couldn't care less. If harm comes that hijab or whatever wouldn't stop it.
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by BetaThings: 8:15am On Sep 13, 2014
TrollMan: In Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, women use hijab to bomb and kill people. They usually disguise themselves inside this as suicide bombers. Is that the body Image?
On Nairaland TrollMan uses lies to bomb his own reputation
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by BetaThings: 8:44am On Sep 13, 2014
20pounds: That said, I hope that one day, the wearing of Hijab should be a matter of convinction and not compulsion.
The day is already here
Infact rather than compelling, a lot of parents forbid their children from using the Hijab
Some mothers see the Hijab as a obstacle to getting husbands

20pounds: I see the Ninja looking types with babies straddled to their backs and hidden inside the thick Hijab under hot sun. What happens to the right and health of these babies to air?
A 1,0000 pound lie
Were you telling the truth, there would have been fatalities
But you are lying - there is an always an opening for the babies to take in air

Christians and atheists always need lies to convict Islam
The truth cannot implicate Islam
What happens to the right of Muslims to be judged upon the truth

This lady in the video is not being compelled
Infact her right to dress decently is being challenged
Whereas people go to great length to assist people who want to bare everything in the name of civilisation
And the still sneer at the "primitive" indigenous communities that still don't cover

https://www.nairaland.com/431142/71-nigerian-muslims-desire-sharia
https://www.nairaland.com/1177010/hoaxes-fabrications-islam-muslims


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWJRam64dQY

2 Likes

Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by RayMcBlue(m): 2:18pm On Sep 13, 2014
TrollMan: In Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, women use hijab to bomb and kill people. They usually disguise themselves inside this as suicide bombers. Is that the body Image?
grin grin

^^^Anyhoo, I believe we are all equal and should not advertise our religion nor foist it on others. Religion is a private matter and must be treated accordingly.

I find it very insulting to see a teacher that teaches science or ethics wearing a hijab here in Durban, for example. A teacher has to be neutral in front of their students, has to be equal with his or her co-workers, and more specifically has to respect the dress code of the institution he or she works for. If somebody believes in God, great, but they don't have to show it, especially when in a position of authority.
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by tbaba12345: 3:08pm On Sep 13, 2014
RayMcBlue:
grin grin

^^^Anyhoo, I believe we are all equal and should not advertise our religion nor foist it on others. Religion is a private matter and must be treated accordingly.

I find it very insulting to see a teacher that teaches science or ethics wearing a hijab here in Durban, for example. A teacher has to be neutral in front of their students, has to be equal with his or her co-workers, and more specifically has to respect the dress code of the institution he or she works for. If somebody believes in God, great, but they don't have to show it, especially when in a position of authority.

This smacks of intolerance. Your concept of what a religion should be or is, is irrelevant and should not be imposed on anyone. Wearing a hijab is part of a muslim woman faith. It is part of her identity. You want to strip that away to conform to your secular, liberal ideas.

Islam as a religion is not limited to the private life, there are public aspects to it.

1 Like

Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by RayMcBlue(m): 3:28pm On Sep 13, 2014
tbaba12345:

This smacks of intolerance. Your concept of what a religion should be or is, is irrelevant and should not be imposed on anyone. Wearing a hijab is part of a muslim woman faith. It is part of her identity. You want to strip that away to conform to your secular, liberal ideas.

Islam as a religion is not limited to the private life, there are public aspects to it.

I think it should be like any other sort of hobby/interest, e.g playing the piano. If you find a group of people who share similar interests (in religion) then you should be free to get together and worship. However, you don't find people saying "if you don't take up playing the piano then you're going to hell". So in that case, you shouldn't be allowed to abuse others for not having the same beliefs and impose your own onto them... or flaunt it in their respective faces.
Re: Women Who Wear Hijab Can Have A Better Body Image, Study Says by tbaba12345: 5:48pm On Sep 13, 2014
RayMcBlue:

I think it should be like any other sort of hobby/interest, e.g playing the piano. If you find a group of people who share similar interests (in religion) then you should be free to get together and worship. However, you don't find people saying "if you don't take up playing the piano then you're going to hell". So in that case, you shouldn't be allowed to abuse others for not having the same beliefs and impose your own onto them... or flaunt it in their respective faces.

Besides the incorrect analogy, the bolded is not correct with islamic theology.

Islam does not say, all those who are not believers go to hell. Rather there must be evidence against you. Those who have presented with Islam is its pure form and rejected it due to arrogance, has evidence against themselves.

“… And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning).” [al-Israa’17:15].

So muslim do not say x or y is going to hell.

Practising your religion does not equate to flaunting it.

1 Like

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