AIBU to question John Lewis advert and its message about women?

[Sheldonsheher]

John Lewis pushing this advert on my social media. Do they support oppression of women or is this a symbol of women’s right to choose .

Because feminism is never about controlling what other women wear.

Glad you asked. No, again it is very different.

Jewish women cover their hair once they are married due to culture, and this is is up to interpretation of Midrash (a part of oral Torah) rather than a direct commandment from the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). The idea is that covering your hair is a sign of marriage, and removing the sign of marriage would be the equivalent to refusing to wear your wedding ring in the western world.

That being said, it isn’t about modesty so much as it is about demonstrating that you are married in a public way that all can see and that no one can question.

In Islam, women cover their hair around the age of puberty (or sooner for some) as a form of modesty.

Two stylish women in Mogadishu, Somalia 1968. Compare and contrast to what Somalian women are wearing now. It's like night and day.

The move from the relatively secular, cosmopolitan urban styles visible in the 1960s /1970s to more shapeless, conservative public dress was mostly a gradual process, but the turmoil of the1990s and the growth of religious movements made the change appear much more rapid in retrospect.

We must never take anything for granted and we need to have an honest and a frank conversation about the society we want for our daughter's and granddaughters.

Look at that dim-wit AOC at an Eid event in NY the other week. She wore a hijab. The hijab in that setting was not religious, it was ideological. That was not a Muslim woman choosing to cover her head, rather it was a populist-Marxist teaming up with Islamists. I think we've seen this film before. A worrying sign of the times, and I don't like it one bit.

The picture in question.

Yes also the same in Egypt and many Muslim counties.

From mini skirts to traditional costumes

They're not selling other ethnic or minority clothing - African headdress, Indian saris and suits. Strange as I'm sure there'd be customers for those too.

Isn't the telling thing that there aren't any saris, or Indian suits, or African outfits as well for sale? Why not? Isn't there a demographic for those? And before jumping on me, I'm Indian heritage. Never expecting to find clothes representing my cultural background in anything other than local community shops of which there are plenty.

Why can't I buy a sari from them then?

As a Muslim woman who chooses not to wear it, I wanted to let you know the ones who "are forced to wear it or die" should not (by iIslam's rules) be forced to wear it. Just.like we're all stuck in a man's world in the West, it's no different in other cultures. Men all over the world love having a say about women. And in some countries, where they've not managed to achieve democracy, the religion is being exploited to control women. No Muslim (religious or otherwise) that I have come across agrees with women being forced to do anything.

There is no compulsion in Islam.

(And then of course there are women who actually choose to wear it too believe it or not.)

Nor an Indian sari or African outfit.

I took am of Indian heritage and love wearing saris.

Just to explore the lack of sari availability at JL. I would LOVE to be able to find something like that at a more conveniently located shop and not Wembley or East London for example. But I don't know how John Lewis would go about even starting to sell a sari - Banarasi, chiffon, embroidered, modern covered in stones... an abaya is so simple in terms of their lack of variation. I don't think a shop catering for the masses could venture into the sari world because how do you even go about stocking a good selection?

But by that logic, why can't I find a nice sari on there? Why only one minority demographic being catered to?

As a business model, because that's what JL is - a business looking to make a profit. Isn't it obvious that a simple abaya is way easier to stock and profit off than all the various types of saris?

I’ve had this randomly pop up on my FB too. My FB algorithms are full of cat and dog rescue videos! I couldn’t care less that I got the advert but just wanted to add weight to those who are also saying the advert pops up randomly for them.

If there was a will, there'd be a way, but the will has only been found for one demographic. Applies to other aspects. I don't find it conducive to integration which is extremely important to me as an ethnic minority in this country.

Kindly, I find it a little amusing you can't see it's just a business wanting to profit off a gap in the market.

Do you not know how expensive it is to produce saris and subsequently profit off it?

As an aside, I don't think your average JL customer is interested in the £10 saris you find on a market stall - you could stock them for a profit but also I'm struggling to see that customer buying from there.

As a business model I am sure it makes sense. However, other demographics aren't being considered in the same way. There are now many 'modest' outfits on JL, Next, M&S etc, with variety to choose from so it's not just the fact that it's easier to put on a long outfit with 2 colour variations.

Kindly, you're missing my point which is rhetorical.

Also "why don't they stock saris" is not the gotcha you think it is @GreyHedgehog

Saris are not generally religious outfits but just traditional clothing from a particular part of the world, did you know loads of Muslims wear saris? My Muslim friends of Indian and Bangladeshi heritage wears saris and shalwar kameez to special occasions like weddings.

Except, they do though. During Diwali they do a whole seasonal edit, at least at my local Westfield in West London. And they have greeting cards and special ranges. If it's profitable, they'll do it. It's that simple.

But go ahead, complicate it with your agenda.

Your question may be rhetorical. But I'm addressing your logic. And it is flawed.

It came up on my feed too - prob cos I was searching JL for dresses (and found nothing 😂 )

I have no interest in Muslim garb, but was quite surprised JL would stock these items. I know that religious Jews in my area go to special shops for their specific clothing needs, they are not sold via department stores.

However plenty of Muslim traditional looking clothes by brands such as Aab etc on JL, Next, M&S, which are not advertised as religious prayer outfits either. They are selling those too.

@Lentilcakes It's a numbers game - number of Jews in the UK - approx 300k, many of whom will have no desire or need for religious dress. Number of Muslims in the UK - £4M.

Shops sell things they think people will want to buy shocker.