When a celebrity like Zaskia Gotik removes her hijab after years of wearing it, the internet breaks. Or when a famous singer like Raisa chooses not to wear one, she’s accused of being “less Muslim.”
The Social Issue: In a nation with 87% Muslims, personal religious choice is paradoxically unfree. Viral shaming campaigns target women who remove their hijab (accusing them of "betrayal") and women who never wore it (accusing them of "defiance").
Cultural Takeaway: The hijab has become a public moral barometer. But Indonesia’s Constitution guarantees religious freedom. The viral outrage exposes a deep discomfort with female autonomy. A woman’s headscarf—or lack thereof—is treated as public property, not private worship. When a celebrity like Zaskia Gotik removes her
The "Hijab Sama" phenomenon cannot be separated from the broader socio-religious landscape of Indonesia—a nation that prides itself on Pancasila (the state ideology of unity in diversity) but is increasingly polarized along religious lines.
Indonesia has a thriving halal economy. The modest fashion industry is projected to be worth trillions of rupiah, and the engine of this economy is the hijab influencer. Women like Jihane Almira or Ayu Ting Ting can crash e-commerce sites simply by wearing a specific brand of pashmina. Cultural Takeaway: The hijab has become a public
However, the "viral hijab" has created a new social anxiety: the standard of beauty has shifted from bare-faced modernity to a highly stylized, often expensive, form of religious covering.
Let’s be clear: the "Hijab Sama" trend was also a marketing goldmine. Indonesian halal fashion is a multi-billion dollar industry. Brands like Zoya, Riani, and Bergo Square saw engagement skyrocket. Many of the top viral videos were not organic; they were soft-launch ads for new hijab collections. the religious act becomes a transaction.
This commercialization has desacralized the hijab for many traditionalists. When a woman flashes a "Shopee link" in her bio after a "Hijab Sama" video, the religious act becomes a transaction. Critics argue that this is the ultimate corruption of Islamic values—using a symbol of faith to sell eyeliner and shawls.