Throughout the past centuries, the symbolism and representation of the veil have been distorted through the passages of time. Some believe that the earliest known use of the veil was within the dawn of Mulsim empires when, in fact, they were commonly worn in societies as early as Ancient Greece. Here, the veil signified a woman’s conservatism, domesticity, and chastity in an attempt to separate spheres of influences by gender. The veil served as a social binding that was intended to limit the influence of women to the confinements of their home. Segregation and separation of genders were a common practice in Ancient Greece but the veil would eventually be adopted for a newfound function in Muslim societies today. Most Muslim women today embrace the veil as a symbol of pride for their religion as well as for their practice of abstinence and modesty. Recently, however, the veil has been plagued with a new representation as created by some Western civilizations. Following present day bans of the veil in countries such as France and Germany, the veil has become a source of xenophobia. Some Western citizens no long see a woman behind a veil. They only perceive an anonymity that could be a potential threat. To take a step back in a broader view, it once served social purposes for gender separation, primarily now serves religious purposes today and now serves political purposes as a fuel for public fear. Nevertheless, the future of the veil is bound to transform once again as it becomes further unraveled by the future.

Throughout the past centuries, the symbolism and representation of the veil have been distorted through the passages of time. Some believe that the earliest known use of the veil was within the dawn of Mulsim empires when, in fact, they were commonly worn in societies as early as Ancient Greece. Here, the veil signified a woman’s conservatism, domesticity, and chastity in an attempt to separate spheres of influences by gender. The veil served as a social binding that was intended to limit the influence of women to the confinements of their home. Segregation and separation of genders were a common practice in Ancient Greece but the veil would eventually be adopted for a newfound function in Muslim societies today. Most Muslim women today embrace the veil as a symbol of pride for their religion as well as for their practice of abstinence and modesty. Recently, however, the veil has been plagued with a new representation as created by some Western civilizations. Following present day bans of the veil in countries such as France and Germany, the veil has become a source of xenophobia. Some Western citizens no long see a woman behind a veil. They only perceive an anonymity that could be a potential threat. To take a step back in a broader view, it once served social purposes for gender separation, primarily now serves religious purposes today and now serves political purposes as a fuel for public fear. Nevertheless, the future of the veil is bound to transform once again as it becomes further unraveled by the future.