Burkini
Full-body swimsuit designed for modesty and sun protection.
Last updated
A burkini is a swimsuit that leaves only the face, hands, and feet uncovered, and is constructed to be lightweight for swimming.[1][2]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Swimwear design
- Nationality
- Australian
- Known for
- Creation of the burkini swimsuit
- Designer
- Aheda Zanetti
- Trademark holder
- Ahiida (Zanetti's company)
Facts from the source article.
How it changed
After the riots, Surf Life Saving Australia recruited Muslim lifeguards, and by 2007 Zanetti designed a uniform for them.[3][4] The burkini gained international attention in 2016 when French municipalities banned it, sparking controversy over Islamophobia.[5] Observing her niece playing netball while wearing a headscarf and other traditional Muslim attire, Zanetti identified a gap in sportswear suitable for Muslim girls.[6] Muslim women felt uneasy at public pools and beaches due to the lack of clothing they deemed appropriate.[6]
The 2005 Cronulla riots in Sydney, which involved racially motivated violence on beaches, also motivated the garment's creation.[7] Following the bans, sales of the burkini rose sharply, particularly among non-Muslims and individuals who had survived skin cancer.[5] People who have had cancer and those with a heightened risk of skin cancer have also started wearing the burkini.[8]
What the maker and period sources say
Zanetti stated she invented the burkini in early 2004 to give women freedom, not to take it away.[9] She said the burkini does not symbolise Islam, but rather leisure, happiness, fitness, and health.[9] Zanetti explained that her niece's need for modest sportswear inspired her to create something that adapts to the Australian lifestyle while fulfilling Muslim girls' needs.[9] Zanetti's first burkini was a two-piece garment featuring a hood that was attached, and it was manufactured entirely from polyester.[10]
She reported that 40% of her buyers are not Muslim, listing Jews, Hindus, Christians, and Mormons among them.[11]
References
- Wikipedia, "Burkini" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Noman, "The inventor of the burkini says nearly half of her customers are not actually Muslim", Mic.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Burkini" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Has burqini become a generic trademark?", genericides.org, 7 September 2019; Taylor, "The surprising Australian origin story of the 'burkini'", Washington Post, 17 August 2006 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Burkini" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Farrell, "How Cronulla's summer of simmering tension boiled over into race riots", The Guardian, 8 December 2015; Adam Taylor, "7 uncomfortable facts about France's burkini controversy", Washington Post, 24 August 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Burkini" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Akou, "A Brief History of the Burqini", Dress, 18 November 2013, p. 25–35; Zanetti, "I created the burkini to give women freedom, not to take it away", The Guardian, 24 August 2016; Adam Taylor, "7 uncomfortable facts about France's burkini controversy", Washington Post, 24 August 2016; Taylor, "The surprising Australian origin story of the burkini", The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 August 2016; "Why do some people find the burkini offensive?", BBC, 20 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Burkini" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Taylor, "The surprising Australian origin story of the burkini", The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 August 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Burkini" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Zanetti, "I created the burkini to give women freedom, not to take it away", The Guardian, 24 August 2016; Kaaki, "Yasmin Altwaijri: Mother, wife and scientist", Arab News, 17 June 2010; "Project Principle Investigators", Saudi National Health and Stress Survey; Zafar, "Yasmin Altwaijri: A Saudi Scientist Tackles Mental Health and Obesity", The Huffington Post, 24 December 2014; Zanetti, "I created the burkini to give women freedom, not to take it away", The Guardian, 24 August 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Burkini" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Burkini Altercation", abc.net.au (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Burkini" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "France's Burkini Ban Backfires: Non-Muslim Women Suit Up", The Hollywood Reporter, 24 August 2016; Noman, "The inventor of the burkini says nearly half of her customers are not actually Muslim", Mic.com; "'Burkini' could save lives through skin cancer protection - China.org.cn", www.china.org.cn (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Zanetti, "I created the burkini to give women freedom, not to take it away", The Guardian, 24 August 2016. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
- Chandab, "Itsy bitsy teeny weeny burqini design battle", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2009-08-30. facts only, no text reused. smh.com.au
- Wikipedia, "Burkini" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Adam Taylor, "7 uncomfortable facts about France's burkini controversy", Washington Post, 24 August 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Burkini (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Australian inventions
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Burkini (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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