A netnography of actions and challenges of Hijab Styles on Instagram

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22059/ijar.2024.375366.459862

Abstract

Purpose-Recently, professional and fashion styles of clothing have become prevalent among religious and veiled women. Alongside their concern for modest dressing, religious women in society are also coordinating their headscarves, sleeves, handbags, and shoes. Sometimes, this phenomenon takes on an extremist form. Its roots can be traced back to trends in hijab styles and hijab bloggers, leading some religious groups to distance themselves from the philosophy of hijab. Additionally, hijab styles and bloggers pursue political goals. Based on this, the aim of this study is to explore the actions and challenges of hijab styles on the social media platform Instagram.
Methodology-This study adopts an interpretive approach and utilizes netnography to investigate the actions and challenges of hijab styles on Instagram. Comments and posts from the last 6 months by 5 Instagram hijab style influencers were collected and analyzed through purposive judgmental sampling. Additionally, unstructured interviews were conducted with 6 activists in the field of hijab and modesty.  
Findings-Themes identified for the damage of hijab styles on Instagram included changes in the concept of hijab, instrumental use of hijab, incitement to irrational consumption, inappropriate standardization, and the formation of confrontation and division. Additionally, topics identified for solutions to effectively address hijab styles on Instagram included presenting a suitable pattern of hijab in accordance with Islamic values, developing social and cultural infrastructure, and implementing appropriate legislation for the virtual space.
Conclusions- Initially, hijab bloggers aimed to introduce the social dimension of the hijab. However, this aim was not achieved, and instead, an erroneous promotion of hijab coverage emerged within society. Hijab styles aim to normalize this form of attire by transforming the hijab into a fashion statement and substituting the chador with the abaya. However, the activities of these bloggers have not only positively influenced hijab acceptance but have also negatively altered hijab values

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Main Subjects

References

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Iranian Journal of Anthropological Research
Volume 14, Issue 1
Indexing Databases
June 2024
Pages 39-55

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