Exotic beauties, victims and terrorists: Representations of veiled women in the British press (2001–14)

Abstract

Abstract This article aims to analyse media representations of veiled women in British online and printed press between 2001 and 2014. Using discourse analysis (CDA) as an analytical tool, the article seeks to demonstrate how enduring repetitions of essentialized media rhetoric – manifested in the topic selection, language and visuals – generate and naturalize racist sentiments towards veiled Muslim women. The findings of the study indicate that veiled Muslim women are commonly represented as the ultimate British others; they continue to be observed through the lens of beautified otherness and are caught in the paradox of being seen as on the one hand invisible victims of patriarchal oppression and on the other hand a visible danger for British security and identity. A nascent trend of counter-hegemonic discourses on veiling is also acknowledged and documented. The outcomes of the media analysis are combined with brief fragments from the interviews with British Muslim women, thus challenging the prevailing media myths and ensuring an emic perspective on the topic.