L’Oreal hijab model pulls out of campaign after backlash

Huge controversy over why Amena Khan, UK beauty blogger, says she’s pulling out of a L’Oreal campaign. So why has she decided to pull out?

In a post on Instagram she says she’s stepping down from the campaign “because of the current conversations surrounding it”.

Her decision follows the discovery of tweets she wrote in 2014, which some have branded as “anti-Israel”.

It comes after many press outlets were delighted to promote her being the first woman in a hijab to be part of a mainstream advert for hair care.

Here is what she wrote just hours ago…

In her Instagram post she says: “I recently took part in a campaign, which excited me because it celebrated inclusivity.”

She goes on to explain that she is stepping down “with regret” because “the current conversations surrounding it detract from the positive and inclusive sentiment that it set out to deliver”.

It follows accusations that she expressed “anti-Israel” views in a number of tweets from 2014.

 

Amena had hoped her role would inspire and empower other women who wear headscarves.

Earlier this month, she told Newsbeat: “It’s a platform for diverse voices and women who don’t fit the very narrow mould of beauty.”