![wp content/uploads///_soumyaswaminathan](https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/AohLJME54/480x251/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/102001675_soumyaswaminathan.jpg?position=top 480w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/AohLJME54/640x335/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/102001675_soumyaswaminathan.jpg?position=top 640w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/AohLJME54/768x402/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/102001675_soumyaswaminathan.jpg?position=top 768w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/AohLJME54/1024x536/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/102001675_soumyaswaminathan.jpg?position=top 1024w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/AohLJME54/1280x670/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/102001675_soumyaswaminathan.jpg?position=top 1280w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/AohLJME54/1440x753/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/102001675_soumyaswaminathan.jpg?position=top 1440w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/AohLJME54/1600x837/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/102001675_soumyaswaminathan.jpg?position=top 1600w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/AohLJME54/2160x1130/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/102001675_soumyaswaminathan.jpg?position=top 2160w)
Photo Credit: BBC
Souyma Swaminathan Drops Chess Championships Over Headscarf Rule
By Emilie Marie BreslinJun. 17 2018, Published 10:11 p.m. ET
Soumya Swaminathan, a champion Indian chess player, excused herself from the Asian Nations Cup Chess Championship in Iran as she felt uncomfortable wearing a headscarf or burqa, a requirement for women in Iran. The 29 year-old currently holds the esteemed title of India’s Woman Grandmaster.
On her Facebook account, Swaminathan stated, “I find the Iranian law of compulsory Headscarf to be in direct violation of my basic Human Rights including my right to freedom of expression, and right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. It seems that under the present circumstances, the only way for me to protect my rights is not to go to Iran.”
She said, “I do not wish to be forced to wear a headscarf or [burqa]. I deeply regret that I will be unable to participate in such an important championship, [but] some things simply cannot be compromised.”
![wp content/uploads///sub buzz](https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/GfNyXMVlZ/480x313/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-11349-1528886972-1.jpg 480w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/GfNyXMVlZ/640x417/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-11349-1528886972-1.jpg 640w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/GfNyXMVlZ/768x500/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-11349-1528886972-1.jpg 768w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/GfNyXMVlZ/1024x667/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-11349-1528886972-1.jpg 1024w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/GfNyXMVlZ/1280x833/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-11349-1528886972-1.jpg 1280w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/GfNyXMVlZ/1440x937/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-11349-1528886972-1.jpg 1440w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/GfNyXMVlZ/1600x1041/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-11349-1528886972-1.jpg 1600w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/GfNyXMVlZ/2160x1406/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-11349-1528886972-1.jpg 2160w)
Photo Credit: Buzzfeed News
Many people on Twitter immediately started sharing their input. A few examples:
![wp content/uploads///sub buzz](https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/jwE6ZYYDI/480x344/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-28199-1528883759-1.png-300x215.jpeg 480w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/jwE6ZYYDI/640x459/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-28199-1528883759-1.png-300x215.jpeg 640w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/jwE6ZYYDI/768x551/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-28199-1528883759-1.png-300x215.jpeg 768w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/jwE6ZYYDI/1024x734/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-28199-1528883759-1.png-300x215.jpeg 1024w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/jwE6ZYYDI/1280x918/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-28199-1528883759-1.png-300x215.jpeg 1280w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/jwE6ZYYDI/1440x1032/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-28199-1528883759-1.png-300x215.jpeg 1440w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/jwE6ZYYDI/1600x1147/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-28199-1528883759-1.png-300x215.jpeg 1600w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/jwE6ZYYDI/2160x1548/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-28199-1528883759-1.png-300x215.jpeg 2160w)
Photo Credit: Buzzfeed News
![wp content/uploads///sub buzz](https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/-KuceeZ26/480x260/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-14697-1528883738-10.png-300x162.jpeg 480w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/-KuceeZ26/640x346/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-14697-1528883738-10.png-300x162.jpeg 640w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/-KuceeZ26/768x415/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-14697-1528883738-10.png-300x162.jpeg 768w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/-KuceeZ26/1024x553/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-14697-1528883738-10.png-300x162.jpeg 1024w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/-KuceeZ26/1280x692/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-14697-1528883738-10.png-300x162.jpeg 1280w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/-KuceeZ26/1440x778/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-14697-1528883738-10.png-300x162.jpeg 1440w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/-KuceeZ26/1600x864/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-14697-1528883738-10.png-300x162.jpeg 1600w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/-KuceeZ26/2160x1167/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/sub-buzz-14697-1528883738-10.png-300x162.jpeg 2160w)
Photo Credit: Buzzfeed News
Regardless of personal opinion, Swaminathan doesn’t wear a headscarf in her everyday life. She wasn’t trying to condemn the culture in any regard. She simply wasn’t comfortable wearing one only for the reason that women dress that way in Iran (where the championship was hosted). She wouldn’t have been true to who she is.
Hot Topic
For some reason, headscarfs used for religious purposes are a hot topic right now in America. In the Western World, in particular in America, many women and men view how women dress without a headscarf as “the right way”. Thus, they project their views as correct and anything else must be wrong. However, in many circumstances, no one is asking the women who are wearing the attire what they prefer.
Below is an example of a survey based in Muslim countries about their opinions of what is the most appropriate style for women in public.
![wp content/uploads///FT_styleofdress](https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/uSgCAchAr/480x381/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FT_styleofdress1314.png 480w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/uSgCAchAr/640x508/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FT_styleofdress1314.png 640w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/uSgCAchAr/768x609/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FT_styleofdress1314.png 768w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/uSgCAchAr/1024x812/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FT_styleofdress1314.png 1024w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/uSgCAchAr/1280x1015/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FT_styleofdress1314.png 1280w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/uSgCAchAr/1440x1142/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FT_styleofdress1314.png 1440w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/uSgCAchAr/1600x1269/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FT_styleofdress1314.png 1600w, https://media.bombshellbybleu.com/brand-img/uSgCAchAr/2160x1713/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FT_styleofdress1314.png 2160w)
Photo Credit: Pew Research Center
In general, since the beginning of time, women have been judged for the clothes they wear over a global perspective. That is its own hot topic. The global society picks apart what a woman “is supposed to” wear regardless of what it is. In reality, who cares. Be comfortable in your own skin, and you do you; be happy with yourself, ladies.