What are burkinis? They’re a recent retail invention, not a religious requirement in any country. Around a decade ago an Australian woman of Lebanese origin created a swimsuit for Muslim…
What are burkinis?
They’re a recent retail invention, not a religious requirement in any country. Around a decade ago an Australian woman of Lebanese origin created a swimsuit for Muslim women designed to permit them to keep their bodies covered while working as lifeguards on Australian beaches.
Her design was dubbed the burkini or burqini.
Burkinis cover the head, torso and limbs – much like a wetsuit with a hood. The word conflates the words bikini and burqa, a full-body covering with only a mesh screen for the eyes. Burqas are worn primarily in Afghanistan.
Police controlling on the beach and first person to be fined wearing a burkini on the promenade des anglais beach in Nice on 23/08/2016
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 04: Mecca Laa Laa wears a ‘Burqini’ on her first surf lifesaving patrol at North Cronulla Beach February 4, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. The red and yellow ‘Burqini’ was specially designed for Muslim lifesavers to allow females to fulfil both their patrolling and religious obligations. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Tunisian women, one (R) wearing a “burkini”, a full-body swimsuit designed for Muslim women, swim on August 16, 2016 at Ghar El Melh beach near Bizerte, north-east of the capital Tunis. / AFP PHOTO / FETHI BELAID
Burkinis are rarely seen in France, where you’re more likely to spot women sunbathing topless. International sales reportedly have soared in response to French efforts to restrict their public display.
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