The Double Standard of Balaclavas (& Why It’s Not Just a Fashion Trend)

There’s no sugarcoating the double standard of wearing head coverings. Black and Brown individuals continue to be discriminated against, assaulted or mocked for wearing similar coverings like hijabs and hoodies. To put it into perspective, the ACLU reports that 69 percent of women who wear hijabs have reported at least one incident of discrimination.

Folks who wear hijabs or other head coverings are sometimes viewed as threatening, oppressed or ghetto. “From the perspective of a hijabi, it’s a double standard,” Asma Shakar, a TikTok fashion creator, tells PureWow. “In some countries, laws fight against hijab, but somehow something that looks identical to what we know as a religious choice is ‘trendy.’ Why is a balaclava ‘trendy’ but my hijab, something that has been worn voluntarily for centuries, ‘oppressive’?”

Think about it: When white people wear balaclavas, there’s no sense of fear or threat of danger. You slip on the covering and are praised for your fashion-forward ways. But for Muslim women, Black men or any BIPOC person that wears something similar, the decision to cover one’s head isn’t so simple. There’s a feeling that something bad could happen the second you step out of your door. There’s the fear that someone in the world could think that you have some kind of sinister agenda for covering your head. For these groups, it’s not just about fashion or warmth, it’s about safety.

Shakar tells us that, in her experience, some choose to ignore the complicated history of head coverings in these communities. Just a few weeks ago, someone asked the creator about her hijab, but wrongly called it a balaclava.

“I had no idea what she meant,” Shakar explains. “After the conversation, I researched what balaclavas were and decided to film a TikTok to open up the discussion of the matter. After discussing the subject with a few of my followers, I came to the conclusion that the balaclava trend may begin to negatively affect hijabis because of how it can be mistaken for the same exact headpiece.”

But before you shout, “Balaclavas have been around for centuries! You just want something to complain about,” let us explain. Yes, balaclavas have been around since the 1800s, when soldiers used these accessories to stay warm during the Crimean War. Since then they've continued to be a staple for Eastern Europeans looking to stay warm.

So yes, as some TikTokers have pointed out, balaclavas are a core part of some Eastern European cultures, and it’s not cultural appropriation to wear one. No one is saying you can’t wear it proudly. No one is even saying that you need to look at every fashion item in your closet with a critical eye before stepping out the door.