Modesty as Commodity: Religious Erasure and the Racialized Politics of ‘Inclusive’ Fashion

Abstract

The fashion industry’s recent turn toward inclusivity has been praised, yet its treatment of religious diversity, especially Muslim modestym reveals deep contradictions. This paper critiques the limits of that inclusivity through the case of Somali American model Halima Aden. Her 2021 departure from runway modeling, due to pressures to compromise her hijab and religious practices, exposes what the paper terms performative inclusivity, where visibility masks demands for assimilation. Media portrayals vary: Western outlets frame Aden’s exit as a personal decision, while non-Western sources highlight structural exclusion. This contrast reflects how Muslim modesty is both exoticized and marginalized within mainstream fashion. The study uses intersectional discourse analysis of media, corporate rhetoric, and Aden’s statements, framed by critical fashion and postcolonial theory. It contrasts brands that genuinely collaborate with those that force compromise, revealing that Muslim models are welcomed only when their aesthetics align with fleeting trends. Furthermore, fashion often rebrands religious garments as avant-garde when stripped of their Islamic context, reinforcing Orientalist hierarchies. The paper argues for rejecting Western norms as neutral and urges co-design approaches that center marginalized voices, especially Muslim consumers, as a path toward meaningful transformation in representation, production, and aesthetic values within the fashion industry.