Experiences of Modesty in Sportswear in Türkiye: A Feminist Perspective on Women's Experiences with Physical Activity

Muzaffer Toprak Keskin

doi:10.26466/opusjsr.1590768

EN TR

Experiences of Modesty in Sportswear in Türkiye: A Feminist Perspective on Women's Experiences with Physical Activity

Abstract

This study aims to examine the physical activity experiences of women who adopt a closed clothing style and study at the Faculty of Sport Sciences in Türkiye, a Muslim country with a secular state, from the perspective of Islamic feminism. Using a phenomenological research methodology, individual interviews were conducted with eight women studying at the Faculty of Sport Sciences of a Turkish university. Additionally, sentiment analysis using NRC Emotion Lexicon and VADER tools revealed key emotions such as anger, anticipation, joy and sadness, along with positive, negative and subjectivity scores. These findings highlight the emotional intensity and personal perspectives of the challenges faced by hijab-wearing women in sports. The findings from traditional content analysis show that hijab-wearing women face significant challenges related to clothing, social pressures, religious stereotypes and sports marketing. These challenges emphasize the need for a comprehensive approach in sportswear marketing to address the lack of variety, quality and affordability in hijab clothing. The study suggests that sportswear brands should offer more comfortable and accessible options for hijab-wearing women and stresses the importance of addressing these issues to ensure that these women can fully participate in sports free from social and marketing constraints.

Keywords

Hijab Sportswear , Islamic feminism , Sports economics , sentiment analysis

Türkiye'de Tesettür Spor Giyim Deneyimleri: Kadınların Fiziksel Aktiviteye Dair Deneyimlerinin Feminist Bir Perspektiften İncelenmesi

Öz

Bu çalışma, laik bir devlete sahip Müslüman bir ülke olan Türkiye'de, kapalı giyim tarzını benimseyen ve Spor Bilimleri Fakültesi'nde öğrenim gören kadınların üniversite ortamındaki fiziksel aktivite deneyimlerini İslami feminizm perspektifinden incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Fenomenolojik bir araştırma metodolojisi kullanılarak, bir Türk üniversitesinin Spor Bilimleri Fakültesi'nde eğitim gören sekiz kadın ile bireysel görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ayrıca, NRC Emotion Lexicon ve VADER araçlarıyla yapılan duygu analizi, öfke, beklenti, neşe ve üzüntü gibi temel duyguların yanı sıra olumlu, olumsuz ve öznellik skorlarını ortaya koymuştur. Bu bulgular, başörtüsü takan kadınların spor yaparken karşılaştıkları zorlukların duygusal yoğunluğunu ve kişisel bakış açılarını gözler önüne sermektedir. Geleneksel içerik analiziyle elde edilen bulgular, başörtülü kadınların spor yaparken giyim, sosyal baskılar, dini stereotipler ve spor pazarlaması gibi zorluklarla karşılaştığını göstermektedir. Bu zorluklar, spor giyim pazarlamasında başörtüsü giyiminde çeşitlilik, kalite ve uygun fiyat eksikliğini gidermek için kapsamlı bir yaklaşım gerekliliğini vurgulamaktadır. Çalışma, spor giyim markalarının, başörtülü kadınlar için daha rahat ve erişilebilir seçenekler sunması gerektiğini belirtmekte ve bu kadınların spor yaparken sosyal engellerden uzak bir şekilde tam katılım sağlamalarının önemini vurgulamaktadır

Anahtar Kelimeler

Tesettür Spor Giyim , İslami Feminizm , Spor Ekonomisi , Duygu Analizi

Kaynakça

Abdallah, S. (2010). Le féminisme islamique, vingt ans après : économie d'un débat et nouveaux chantiers de recherche. Critique Internationale, 46(1), 9–23. https://doi.org/10.3917/crii.046.0009
AbdulRazak, M., Omar-Fauzee, M. S., & Abd-Latif, R. (2010). The perspective of Arabic Muslim women toward sport participation. Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 1(2), 364-377.
Al-Kazi, L. A., & González, A. L. (2018). The veil you know: Individual and societal-level explanations for wearing the hijab in comparative perspective. Social Compass, 65(5), 566-590.
Almila, A. M., & Inglis, D. (2018). On the Hijab-Gift: Gift-theoretical considerations on the ambiguities and ambivalences of Islamic veiling in a diasporic context. Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change. https://doi.org/10.20897/jcasc/2672
Al-Sharmani, M. (2014). Islamic feminism: Transnational and national reflections. Approaching Religion, 4(2), 83-94. https://doi.org/10.30664/ar.67552
Bachleda, C., Hamelin, N., & Benachour, O. (2014). Does religiosity impact Moroccan Muslim women’s clothing choice? Journal of Islamic Marketing, 5(2), 210-226.
Badran, M. (2001). Understanding Islam, Islamism and Islamic feminism. Journal of Women's History, 13(1), 47–52. https://doi.org/10.1353/jowh.2001.0022
Baharudin, A., Hafidz, A. H. A., Roslan, N. M., Zahir, I. N., Norjeferi, N. A., Musa, A., & Ahmad, M. R. (2021, August). Study on the comfort of 3 local hijab sport brands on Muslim women during physical activities. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 1176(1), 012026.
Bahrainwala, L., & O’Connor, E. (2019). Nike unveils Muslim women athletes. Feminist Media Studies, 22(3), 469-484. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2019.1620822
Bakhshizadeh, M. (2023). A social psychological critique on Islamic feminism. Religions, 14(2), 202. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14020202

Benn, T., & Dagkas, S. (Eds.). (2013a). Sport in Islam and in Muslim communities. Routledge.
Benn, T., & Pfister, G. (2013). Meeting needs of Muslim girls in school sport: Case studies exploring cultural and religious diversity. European Journal of Sport Science, 13(5), 567-574. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2012.757808
Benn, T., Jawad, H., & Al-Sinani, Y. (2013b). The role of Islam in the lives of girls and women in physical education and sport. In Z. Gross, L. Davies, & A. K. Diab (Eds.), Religion and education in a chaotic postmodern world (pp. 239-256). Springer.
Bhuiyan, Z. A. (2018). Islamic fashion in South-East Asia: A descriptive research on web-based fashion of Bangladesh: A global window view project certificate of participation view project. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327136868
Chung, H., Lim, Y., & Sumartiningsih, S. (2022). A journey of continuous commitment to martial arts in alumni karate practitioners. Acpes Journal of Physical Education, Sport and Health (Ajpesh), 2(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.15294/ajpesh.v2i1.56838
Constance, A. (2023). Critiquing Islamic feminism from a social psychological perspective. Journal of Modern Islamic Studies and Civilization, 1(2), 50–66. https://doi.org/10.59653/jmisc.v1i02.130
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Dagkas, S., Benn, T., & Jawad, H. (2011a). Multiple voices: Improving participation of Muslim girls in physical education and school sport. Sport, Education and Society, 16(2), 223-239. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2011.540427
Dagkas, S., Koushkie Jahromi, M., & Talbot, M. (2011b). Reaffirming the values of physical education, physical activity and sport in the lives of young Muslim women. In Muslim women and sport (pp. 13-24).
Dalaman, Z. (2021). From secular Muslim feminism to Islamic feminism(s) and new generation Islamic feminists in Egypt, Iran and Türkiye. Border Crossing, 11(1), 77–91. https://doi.org/10.33182/bc.v11i1.1042
El-Bassiouny, N. (2018). The Hijabi self: Authenticity and transformation in the Hijab fashion phenomenon. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 9(2), 296-304.
Fatima, N., Bilal, M., & Butt, B. (2017). Social construction of feminism through media: The discourse and critique in Pakistan. Global Regional Review, 2(1), 320–329. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2017(ii-i).22
Fuad, A., & Ramadhan, A. (2023). The contestation of feminism and religious authority and its implication in Islamic education. Hayula: Indonesian Journal of Multidisciplinary Islamic Studies, 7(2), 125–142. https://doi.org/10.21009/hayula.007.02.01
Galadari, A. (2012). Behind the veil: Inner meanings of women’s Islamic dress code. Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 6(11), 115-125.
Ge, Y., Zhang, Q., Wang, M., Zhang, L., Shi, S., & Laar, R. (2022). Restrictions on Pakistani female students’ participation in sports: A statistical model of constraints. SAGE Open, 12(4), 215824402211387. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221138771
Hamzeh, M., & Oliver, K. L. (2012). “Because I am Muslim, I cannot wear a swimsuit”: Muslim girls negotiate participation opportunities for physical activity. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 83(2), 330-339. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2012.10599864
Hassan, S. H., & Ara, H. (2021). Hijab fashion consciousness among young Muslim women in Malaysia. Studies of Applied Economics, 39(4), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.25115/eea.v39i4.4312
Hassan, S., & Harun, H. (2016). Factors influencing fashion consciousness in hijab fashion consumption among hijabistas. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 7(4), 476-494. https://doi.org/10.1108/jima-10-2014-0064
Hattab, M., & Abualrob, M. (2023). Under the veil: Women’s economic and marriage rights in Palestine. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01591-4
Hussain, U., & Cunningham, G. B. (2023). The determinants of Muslim women's pro-sport Hijab purchase intention: A theory of planned behavior perspective. European Sport Management Quarterly, 23(4), 1249-1268.
Jawad, H. (2009). Islamic feminism: Leadership roles and public representation. Hawwa, 7(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1163/156920809x449517
Jiwani, N., & Rail, G. (2010). Islam, hijab and young Shia Muslim Canadian women’s discursive constructions of physical activity. Sociology of Sport Journal, 27(3), 251-267. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.27.3.251
Kabir, G. (2023). Rearticulating Islamic feminism. Martabat: Jurnal Perempuan dan Anak, 7(2), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.21274/martabat.2023.7.2.127-144
Keddie, A. (2009). Giving Muslim girls ‘a voice’: The possibilities and limits to challenging patriarchal interpretations of Islam in one English community. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 17(3), 265-278. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681360903194301
Keskin, M. T. U., & Ulusay, N. (2023). Tesettür giyimi tercih eden kadınların spor giyimine yönelik gardırop faktörleri: Din ve pazarlama açısından bibliyometrik bir inceleme. In F. Hazar (Ed.), SPOR & BİLİM 2023-I. Efe Akademik Yayıncılık.
Keskin, M. T. U., Ulusay, N., & Özer, Ş. C. (2023). Spor yönetimi alanında yayınlanan makalelerin bibliyometrik bir analizi: 1993-2023 yılları arasında altı dergiden toplanan verilerin incelenmesi. In G. Özen & İ. Özmutlu (Eds.), Beden eğitimi ve spor araştırmaları 2023-II. Efe Akademik Yayıncılık.
Knez, K., Macdonald, D., & Abbott, R. (2012). Challenging stereotypes: Muslim girls talk about physical activity, physical education and sport. Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education, 3(2), 109-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/18377122.2012.700691
Koburtay, T., Abuhussein, T., & Sidani, Y. (2022). Women leadership, culture and Islam: Female voices from Jordan. Journal of Business Ethics, 183(2), 347-363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05041-0
Laar, R., Ashraf, M., Zhou, S., Zhang, L., & Zhong, Z. (2022). Assessing the association between Pakistani women’s religious beliefs and sports participation. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.915521
Lapadat, J., & Lindsay, A. (1999). Transcription in research and practice: From standardization of technique to interpretive positionings. Qualitative Inquiry, 5(1), 64-86. https://doi.org/10.1177/107780049900500104
Lazuardi, F., & Shamsu, L. (2024). Gender and feminism in an Islamic perspective. Focus, 5(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.26593/focus.v5i1.7659
Mahmood, S. (2009). Religious reason and secular affect: An incommensurable divide. In J. Chandler & A. I. Davidson (Eds.), Critical inquiry (pp. 836-862). The University of Chicago Press.
Marwat, M. K., Islam, S. Z., Waseem, M., Khattak, H., & Bibi, S. (2014). Sport performance of Muslim women and different constraints in their way to participation in sport. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 4(1), 208-214.
Neale, J. (2016). Iterative categorization (IC): A systematic technique for analysing qualitative data. Addiction, 111(6), 1096-1106. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13314
O’Brien, B., Harris, I., Beckman, T., Reed, D., & Cook, D. (2014). Standards for reporting qualitative research. Academic Medicine, 89(9), 1245-1251. https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0000000000000388
Omar, M. A. (2016). Architecture, culture and needs of Australian Muslim communities: Challenges and opportunities for social inclusion. International Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies, 3(2), 1390-1409.
Peter, I. D., Oshagbami, A., Danjuma-Karau, J. K., & Ashaolu, J. (2024). A phenomenological study of the lived experiences of mothers and healthcare professionals caring for preterm babies in Abuja, Nigeria.
Rabaan, H., Young, A., & Dombrowski, L. (2021). Daughters of men. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 4(CSCW3), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1145/3432923
Rose, R. (2021). A user-centred approach to modest sportswear design for Cape Town Muslim women [Master's thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology].
Rua, I. (2024). The representation of Muslim women in the Portuguese press: From the perspective of Islamic feminist movements. Dígitos: Revista de Comunicación Digital, 10, 94–121. https://doi.org/10.7203/drdcd.v0i10.282
السناني, Y. (2022). Omani women participation in sport and physical education: Islamic feminism review. مجلة العلوم التربوية و النفسية, 6(39), 143-154. https://doi.org/10.26389/ajsrp.d020822
Segran, E. (2018). Muslim fashion is a $254 billion market—but big brands can’t crack it. Fast Company. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/40559445/these-startups-nailed-muslim-fashion-burberry-and-dkny-did-not.
Senarath, S. K. I. U., & Liyanage, T. P. (2020). Religious involvement in young Islamic women participation in physical education, sports and physical activities. Journal of Psychology Research, 10(8), 319-323.
Sfeir, L. (1985). The status of Muslim women in sport: Conflict between cultural tradition and modernization. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 20(4), 283-306.
Shafee, W. H. (2020). Approaches to the wardrobe challenges of Muslim women in the west. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 11(5), 1155-1173.
Shahin, F. (2020). Islamic feminism and hegemonic discourses on faith and gender in Islam. International Journal of Islam in Asia, 1(1), 27-48. https://doi.org/10.1163/25899996-01010003
Sheen, M., Aman Key Yekani, H., & Jordan, T. R. (2018). Investigating the effect of wearing the hijab: Perception of facial attractiveness by Emirati Muslim women living in their native Muslim country. PLoS One, 13(10).
Stride, A. (2016). Centralising space: The physical education and physical activity experiences of South Asian, Muslim girls. Sport, Education and Society, 21(5), 677-697. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2014.938622
Toffoletti, K. (2012). Iranian women’s sports fandom. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 38(1), 75-92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193723512468758
Toffoletti, K., & Palmer, C. (2017). New approaches for studies of Muslim women and sport. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 52(2), 146-163. https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690215589326
Toktaş, Ş., & O’Neil, M. (2015). Competing frameworks of Islamic law and secular civil law in Türkiye: A case study on women's property and inheritance practices. Women’s Studies International Forum, 48, 29–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2014.10.011
Vatuk, S. (2008). Islamic feminism in India: Indian Muslim women activists and the reform of Muslim personal law. Modern Asian Studies, 42(2–3), 489–518. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0026749x07003228
Vohra, A. (2023). Feminism in the Middle East: An analysis into Western, Islamic and secular feminism. Crossings: An Undergraduate Arts Journal, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.29173/crossings117
Wahyu, W., Suwandi, S., & Rofiq, A. (2023). Feminism in Islam: Its relation to the rights and responsibilities of career women in domestic spaces. International Journal of Nusantara Islam, 11(2), 289–299. https://doi.org/10.15575/ijni.v11i2.27967
Walseth, K. (2006). Muslim girls’ experiences in physical education in Norway: What role does religiosity play? Sport, Education and Society, 20(3), 304-322.
Walseth, K., & Strandbu, Å. (2014). Young Norwegian-Pakistani women and sport: How does culture and religiosity matter? European Physical Education Review, 20(4), 489-507.
Wang, Y., Thomas, J., Weissgerber, S. C., Kazemini, S., & Ul-Haq, I. (2015). The headscarf effect revisited: Further evidence for a culture-based internal face processing advantage.
Wibowo, A., Wijayanto, T., Widyastuti, W., & Herliansyah, M. (2018). The effect of clothing fit and material of women’s Islamic sportswear on physiological and subjective responses during exercise in warm and humid environment. MATEC Web of Conferences, 154, 01074. https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201815401074
Williams, J. P., & Kamaludeen, M. N. (2017). Muslim girl culture and social control in Southeast Asia: Exploring the hijabista and hijabster phenomena. Crime, Media, Culture, 13(2), 199-216.
Ziaee, A., Sterkenburg, J., & Hilvoorde, I. (2022). Female elite sports achievements in Iran: The case of the first Olympic medalist. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 58(1), 208-229. https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902221088124

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

İngilizce

Konular

Spor Sosyolojisi , Spor ve Egzersiz Psikolojisi

Bölüm

Araştırma Makalesi

Yazarlar

Muzaffer Toprak Keskin ^*
0000-0001-9439-0094
Türkiye

Erken Görünüm Tarihi

27 Mart 2025

Yayımlanma Tarihi

31 Mart 2025

Gönderilme Tarihi

25 Kasım 2024

Kabul Tarihi

27 Mart 2025

Yayımlandığı Sayı

Yıl 2025 Cilt: 22 Sayı: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1590768

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA97JT77ZW

APA

Keskin, M. T. (2025). Experiences of Modesty in Sportswear in Türkiye: A Feminist Perspective on Women’s Experiences with Physical Activity. OPUS Journal of Society Research, 22(2), 297-317. https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1590768

Experiences of Modesty in Sportswear in Türkiye: A Feminist Perspective on Women's Experiences with Physical Activity

Abstract

Keywords

Türkiye'de Tesettür Spor Giyim Deneyimleri: Kadınların Fiziksel Aktiviteye Dair Deneyimlerinin Feminist Bir Perspektiften İncelenmesi

Öz

Anahtar Kelimeler

Kaynakça

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

Konular

Bölüm

Yazarlar

Erken Görünüm Tarihi

Yayımlanma Tarihi

Gönderilme Tarihi

Kabul Tarihi

Yayımlandığı Sayı

DOI

IZ

Kaynak Göster