(Vogue) Less than a month after voters in Switzerland supported a ban on the burqa and niqab, its neighboring nation, France, has taken a more severe stance against “religious” clothing and symbols with its move to outlaw the hijab on women under the age of 18 in public places.
On March 30, the French senate voted in favor of the “prohibition in the public space of any conspicuous religious sign by minors and of any dress or clothing which would signify an interiorization of women over men.” In addition, hijabi mothers would be prohibited from accompanying school field trips and burkinis would be banned at public swimming pools. These laws, which are part of the proposed “Separatism Bill,” are not yet in effect — they will first need to be confirmed by the National Assembly.
