On Debate on Jilboob and Jilbab

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/08/12/your-letters-debating-jilboob-versus-jilbab.html

A few months ago, some colleagues of mine kind-heartedly advised me to modify the way I wore my jilbab (Islamic headscarf). They said the change would accentuate my face and I would be more fashionable. It would still cover your hair, they argued. My brows knitted in between excitement and doubt.

The temptation to be stylish, modern and beautiful feels far too strong. Afterall, woman is a creature of beauty, isn't she? Yet, I banish the idea as it is not what I am. As always, the way I dress does not define me. I wear jilbab and clothes that suit me. I choose apparels which provide comfort and convenience for my daily activities, including backpacking. So, it is not reserved only for religious reason or just following the trend. It is more of my personal affair.

Then, for the last few days, ‘jilboobs’ has been trending in social media and on screens. A Facebook page titled “Jilboob Community” was launched which displayed many pictures of women with jilboobs uploaded. The page triggered heated discussions online and offline, either condemning or supporting. My friends newsfeed are flooded with streaming on the topic. The issue has drawn the ire of conservatives as well, resulted in the issuance of religious edict from the country's highest authority on Islam.

Jilboobs is used to explain the trend of combining Muslim women dress, jilbab with tight-fitting clothes. Consequently, such combination accentuate their shapes and curves. This trend has came into surface because most of the women who are wearing jilbab want to remain fashionable and pretty. Most just follow the example of their favourite artists or patrons. Even long before the jilboobs comes into a spotlight, this phenomenon can be found anywhere including in Aceh since 2000s.

In Muslim-majority but secular Indonesia, the government does not regulate clothing for Muslim women the same way Islamic countries do. We can find Muslim women either fully covered from head to toe, dressed in a revealing tank top and miniskirt, or somewhere in between. So, there is no definite dress code for women here.

However, most women still adhere to the social and religious norms in choosing their dress. The so called 'appropriateness and politeness’ requirements are still on top of the list. Women are still mostly judged by how they dress as in the adage "you are what you wear". Well, off course this saying does not ring true completely as there is another saying to ‘never judge a book by its cover.’

As cultural modernization and globalization keeps spreading their claws, most women in the big cities now have more liberty in exercising their choice of  selecting their apparels.  Always keeping up with the latest fashion and brand to look ‘awesome’ is the new god.

As with the internet, so many choices are laid bare. Most renowned designers and brands dictate the lifestyle. Most public patrons especially celebrities set examples on how to dress. Enforced by the power of media, this lifestyle as reflected in fashion set the trend in motion.

Such phenomenon also spreads among the muslim women. It is the vanity of women to always want to look good and beautiful. We, the jilbabers (muslim women who wear headscarf), as with any other women around the globe, want to look good and beautiful too. It is our natural urge we sometimes find it impossible to deny.

Because, even though the world is full of normal and pretty women, the world we see – the world of television, films, magazines and websites – is full of women who are top-of-the-scale beauties. If we're a woman, a huge proportion of our role models, including jilbabers, are beautiful. So if we’re normal looking, we feel ugly.

For this reason, women, many of whom wanted their faces to be more beautiful than they were, were looking at products and procedures that might help, including in choosing their fashion. They increasingly crave beauty – and for good reason. In a world that tells pretty women they are ordinary, and ordinary-looking women they are ugly, increasingly radical “solutions” come to seem normal, including jilboob.

For me personally, jilboob or jilbab is a matter of personal choice as with a prayer or fasting. It is our personal affair with God. When a Muslim does not perform five daily prayers and fasting, we have no power to impose a sanction for him/her as this ritual is a private affair with God. We can only advise him/her to perform his/her ritual with good words and judgement in the spirit of brotherhood. We can only warn him/her that we are the ambassador of our faith.

In this spirit of good faith, I should say that Muslims should not react so negatively to the jilboobs phenomenon. It is not a criminal act in need of punishment or heavier sanction. The fact that women, especially young teenagers, are now increasingly willing to wear a jilbab is a small step that should be appreciated. It is understandable that they still want to look trendy and modern. It is a hijrah (a migration or journey), a process to be better. Thus, they should have a commitment to gradually dress with the jilbab better.

The jilboob phenomenon should also be perceived as a constructive criticism on how muslim women should wear their jilbab. As the ambassador of our faith, it is our sacred duty to safeguard our behavior, words, and even the way we dress that represent our faith as the religion of peace and love.

As for me, jilboob does not really suit me. Once or twice or more I used to wear such style. Looking at the mirror, I blushed and felt walking naked in that fashion. Somehow, I always see a woman wearing jilbab covering the head up to chest, look more elegant and beautiful. There’s something regal in that dress code especially if the manners and behavior of its wearer also reflect the code. And I am still a continuous learner on how to dress and behave properly so I can be a good ambassador to my faith.

In the end, I drop the idea of modifying the way I wear my jilbab and back to my regular style. Jeans and loose skirt with jilbab suit me better.