Social Media Ablaze Over Model Lily Cole Posing in Burqa on Instagram to Promote Her Book

The ill-conceived posting and public outcry come at a time when Afghan citizens and women, in particular, are speaking out about their fears of losing their rights under the theocratic regime of the Taliban*, which has seized the Afghan capital without firing a shot.

UK model and entrepreneur Lily Cole has faced fierce backlash over her now-deleted post, in which she embraced "diversity on every level" while wearing a burqa, a traditional Islamic garment, while promoting her new book.

Her post featured two photos: one of her wearing a blue burqa that covered her face and torso, and another of her with the garment pulled up to reveal her face.

Cole's caption urged her followers to support "biodiversity; cultural diversity; diversity of thinking; diversity of voices; diversity of ideas," while the timing might indeed seem bad due to it being the same week that Kabul reportedly completely fell to the Taliban, sparking concerns about women's rights in Afghanistan across the world.

According to media reports, which caught the short-lived publication and reactions, some Instagram users challenged the model by claiming that the Taliban compelled women to wear the burqa.

On Twitter, UK columnist Janice Turner expressed bewilderment at such a "hashtag-feminism," noting that Cole has put "Instagram posturing before universal human rights."

"I bet Afghan women are celebrating the ‘diversity’ of wearing this shroud," she added.

Lily Cole & the vacuity of modern hashtag-feminism. Putting Instagram posturing before universal human rights. I bet Afghan women are celebrating the “diversity” of wearing this shroud. pic.twitter.com/5unfIZrqXg

— Janice Turner (@VictoriaPeckham) August 16, 2021

​Cole, however, later apologized, saying she had shared "an old photo" of herself wearing a burqa that she had borrowed from a friend.

"As she pointed out I was undermining its original purpose by wearing it with my face exposed, but I understand why the image has upset people and want to sincerely apologise for any offence caused," Cole's caption in the Instagram story reads. "I hadn’t read the news at the time I posted so it was incredibly ill timed. Thank you for pointing that out to me."

According to media reports, as the Taliban's final push proved successful, women who recall life under the Islamist group's reign reached for their burqas once more, given that during their first time in power before the 2001 Western intervention, the Taliban obliged women to wear these traditional clothes.

During their Tuesday press conference, however, the Taliban pledged to respect certain freedoms in the country and vowed to respect women's rights within the framework of Islamic law.

*The Taliban, a terrorist group banned in Russia and a number of other countries