Return of the Coneheads!

By Sumayyah Meehan, MMNS

Not the ‘Conehead’ characters from the popular TV show ‘Saturday Night Live’ which put actors Dan Akroyd and Jane Curtin on the map. This new breed of ‘coneheads’ come from the Planet Earth, not Planet ‘Remulak’, and lives in the Middle East. The Islamic hijab often undergoes a transformation each time the fashion industry or pop culture burps.

Case in point, when the latest installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie came out many young Muslim females around the world began wearing hijabs that were tied on the side making them look like fierce swashbucklers. However, no one really knows how or where the latest hijab style came from although some bloggers have speculated it began in Saudi Arabia as a way for girls to discreetly let boys know that they are available. Discretion being the key as dating and mingling is punishable under the kingdom’s version of Shariah.

The conehead hijab looks like something from another planet. It is large and, well, cone shaped. The girl who wears it must do a bit of preparation before she dons her hijab in order to get the perfect shape. It is now  common knowledge in the Gulf as to what lies beneath the cone.

In fact, a Bahraini blogger held an online contest to see who could properly guess the contents. So, what is it? It is actually a soda can or a couple of inverted yogurt cups that are attached to the top of the hair. The wearer pulls her hair into a ponytail and then attaches the recyclables to it. Then she drapes the hijab all around and, when it is securely pinned, the result is a protruding head. Recently, many businesses in Gulf States have been importing gaudy and giant flower hairclips that are bigger than the human head.

Clever businessmen are seizing on the latest hijab trend to make a quick buck. The giant flower is much easier to use than the recyclables, although it is not as good for the environment! All the wearer has to do is twist her hair up and clip on the large flower. The hijab drapes right over it.

So, what’s the point of the cone hijab? Good question! Apparently some girls believe that they can trick the public, including boys, into believing that they have got a gorgeous mane of hair under the hijab and that’s why their heads are so big! The reality of the conehead hijabs has tickled the ribs of Gulf bloggers who continue to debate the purpose of it as well as the implications under the Scripture which prescribes modesty. 

Fashion trends come and go like the changing seasons, but if perchance you catch a glimpse of the conehead hijab remember this:  Seeing is not always believing.

10-28