Unveiled: the straight-talking ‘Aussie chick’ behind the burkini
When Aheda Zanetti invented a full-body swimsuit to help her girls integrate into Western society, she had no idea of the political storm ahead
To its fans it is a symbol of modesty and privacy, an expression of piety, a garment that liberates, integrates and guards against skin cancer. To its detractors it is oppressive and subversive, a fabric that separates society and affronts Western values. And it’s causing a political storm.
The burkini – a swimsuit favoured by Muslim women because it gives full-body coverage, including legs, arms and hair – is making headlines across Europe after some French authorities banned it from beaches otherwise full of sizzling flesh.
And that has horrified self-described “straight-talking Aussie chick” Aheda Zanetti, a 48-year-old mother-of-two, who invented the burkini in part to help her daughters integrate into Western society.
“I can’t believe that my trademark has become a political statement,” says Zanetti, who is often to be seen heading to her store in a Western Sydney suburb dressed in active wear and hijab. “It breaks my heart.”
French burkini ban sends wrong messages about subjugation
She was brought to Australia from Tripoli, Lebanon, when she was two, and found as she grew up that she was unable to enjoy sports or swimming because there was a lack of suitably modest attire.
