Update: New L'Oréal Paris Ad Features Hijab-Wearing Model
UPDATE: British beauty blogger Amena Khan (the first hijab-wearing L’Oreal model) has announced she will no longer be a spokesperson for the global beauty brand after receiving backlash for several anti-Israel tweets she wrote back in 2014. The tweets (which have now been deleted) were published on MailOnline and called Israel an “illegal” and “sinister state.” Khan took to Instagram to express her remorse writing: “I deeply regret the content of the tweets I made in 2014, and sincerely apologise for the upset and hurt they have caused.”
L’Oréal Paris joins Nike and Covergirl to feature a hijab-wearing model for its new campaign. In the ad, British blogger Amena Khan wears a light-pink headscarf to promote the brand’s new product, Elvive. “Whether or not your hair is on display, it doesn’t affect how much you care about it,” she says in the multimedia campaign.
Being the first hijab-wearing model in a mainstream haircare ad is just one of her many accomplishments. Khan has her own cosmetic line, Ardere Cosmetics, a scarf line, and is also a L’Oréal Paris ambassador. In an interview with Vogue UK, Khan says, “They’re literally putting a girl in a headscarf— whose hair you can’t see— in a hair campaign. Because what they’re really valuing through the campaign is the voices that we have.”
L’Oréal conveys an important message by starring a woman who’s covering her hair to promote a hair product. The new campaign is one of many steps the brand has taken to be more inclusive in the beauty industry. Just last year the brand launched the All Worth It Program, aimed at young adults to develop self-confidence.
Now others will just have to follow L'Oréal's footsteps.
Watch the ad here:
