L’Oreal is making history by becoming the first major international brand to include a woman wearing a hijab in a hair campaign.
Influencer, Amena Khan, who has been wearing headscarf in public since her twenties, is the new L’Oreal star. The campaign aims to promote an important message: hair care is for everyone, whether they choose to show their hair in public, or not.
In an interview with Vogue, Khan said she didn't understand why people just assume that she doesn't care about her hair because she wear a hijab.
“For me, my hair is an extension of my femininity. I love styling my hair, I love putting products in it, and I love it to smell nice. It’s an expression of who I am,” she explains. “And even if that expression is for my home life and my loved ones and for me when I look in the mirror, it’s who I am. If I know my hair is greasy but I have a scarf on it, I still feel rubbish all day - even if it’s covered,” Khan told Vogue.
People are LOVING what L'Oreal is doing.
Yesssss L'Oreal Paris you just changed the game @britishvogue https://t.co/lqXdGlyXwH
Am definitely rushing out today to buy this product #lOreal LOVE the amazing results. ;) https://t.co/P428MDmpFC
Even skeptics are here for it.
I have many qualms with the hijabi blogger and beauty industries but this kind of representation is so novel and fo… https://t.co/zRoPwd0Mtc
And they're ready to defend it from trolls.
By including Amena Khan, L'Oreal wants to: 1) Encourage hijab-wearers to buy L'Oreal, obviously 2) Be seen as inclu… https://t.co/DCrx4Z1Htx
This campaign comes after L’Oreal was criticized for its lack of diversity after dropping transgender model, Munroe Bergdorf, because of her views on racism.
Keep slaying, Amena!
UPDATE
Amena Khan pulled out of her L'Oreal campaign just days after it was announced. She decided to step down after some of her tweets from 2014, which some have labeled as "anti-Israel," resurfaced after she got media attention. She also issued an apology for her tweets.