Tribute to mum then tragedy Finding liberation in a burkini
Rapper’s mother dies in house fire before his praise appears. French reaction to Muslim beachwear shows humanity hasn’t figured out how to admire the female form without being sleazy
Sam Hansen’s mum never got to read her son’s moving tribute to her in today’s Sunday Star-Times.
The award-winning rapper described his mother as the person he admired most in the world, and someone who cared deeply about other people.
The interview, which appears in today’s Escape section, was recorded earlier this week. But on Wednesday night, Kathy Hansen died in a house fire at her Feilding home.
She worked as a counsellor at Queen Elizabeth College in nearby Palmerston North, but was perhaps best known for being the mother of Sam, who performs under the moniker PNC.
In the interview, PNC, 32, paid tribute to his mother, praising her honesty and thanking her for the life advice she had instilled in him.
He describes her as the person he admired most in the world.
‘‘She’ll always tell anyone her opinion, and she cares deeply about social justice and other people’s lives,’’ he says.
‘‘She works as as a school guidance counsellor, and is completely passionate and transparent on her thoughts about all the things she thinks are important in life.
‘‘She taught me that, and I try to implement that in my own life.’’
In a previous interview, Kathy Hansen said she was proud of her son’s achievements.
She spoke to a reporter from inside her work office, which was covered in photos of her son.
‘‘He doesn’t like being treated like a star, really, he finds it slightly embarrassing,’’ she said.
‘‘He’s not into that thing at all, so I think he’s got his head together when it comes to that sort of stuff.’’
Queen Elizabeth College principal Mike Houghton, who sent out a letter to the college community alerting them to Hansen’s death, described her as a valued colleague who would be missed.
Six fire trucks and 30 firefighters were called in to battle the blaze about 8pm but were unable to enter the house due to the intensity of the flames. She’ll always tell anyone her opinion, and she cares deeply about social justice and other people’s lives.
The fire is suspicious.
Attempts to contact the Auckland-based rapper and his management were unsuccessful but he has since cancelled an appearance at a show in Christchurch.
His replacement for the show posted on Facebook that PNC could no longer attend due to ‘‘the passing of a family member’’.
PNC dedicated a song to his mother on his latest recording, The Luke Vailima EP, which was released at the end of July. not being treated as
Sam Hansen’s tribute to his mother is from an interview conducted before her death. The interview for Escape magazine went to press before news of her death emerged. We apologise for any upset this causes. - Jonathan Milne, editor
New signs are needed on the beachfront of southern France. Not ‘‘watch your valuables’’ or ‘‘no hawking’’ but ‘‘get your kit off, or you’re not welcome’’.
Usually people are agog at a woman who dares to display too much of her jiggly bits in public. Now, in Cannes, it’s a crime not to display enough.
Images have shot around the world this week of officers fining a woman for wearing a burkini on the beach in Cannes and demanding she remove her top.
I’ve never known a man who didn’t have a fistful of fake dollar bills in a strip joint to get away with that kind of request without a slap.
The courts overturned the ban on Saturday, but already Mayors have vowed to disregard the ruling. They must be a little confused as to what France’s tripartite motto ‘Liberte, egalite, fraternite’ actually means.
How is it oppression when one man demands a woman wear a head covering, but liberation when another man demands she remove it?
What is egalitarian about ostracising one sector of the population based on their choice of attire?
How can we be brothers when we suspect anyone with a headscarf of belonging to Isis?
Well, Isis can call off its recruitment drive. By patrolling the beaches and forcing those who dare to wear the colourful cover-all burkini to strip off, the French police are doing a better job of that than Isis ever could.
While the French impose the West’s version of liberty and freedom, I started to wonder whether we might be the ones missing a trick.
Maybe there is freedom in a burkini. Think about it. There would be no mid-winter headlines to put the fear about God in me about the importance of attaining a ‘‘beach body’’ in time for summer (beach bodies are made in winter, remember? Start cutting carbs, stat) I could delete all those pins on my Pinterest page that promise to magically scrub me cellulite-free because no longer would I be expected to simultaneously possess lady lumps, but no lumpy bits. No more worrying about being hair-free from the neck down but possessing luscious bountiful ‘beach-hair’ on my head. And imagine how much I could reduce my risk of skin cancer if I was ensconced in head-to-toe coveralls?
The inventor of the burkini reckons she designed them with freedom for Muslim women in mind, but that almost half of those who now buy them aren’t actually Muslim.
Perhaps at next year’s Fashion Week, modesty will be the new black. Rather than the front row being full of coats draped over skinny shoulders with the sleeves flapping redundantly by their sides, there will instead be swathes of rich fabric-covered shoulders, necks and even heads. Just think no fashionista will have to fret about their fresh blow-wave being ruined on the way to the catwalk in an (inevitable) Auckland downpour.
Before you say it – I know the burqa is generally considered a symbol of the oppression of women. None of this is to defend forcing women to cover up.
But covering up is liberating to some. Revealing it all liberating to others.
And you know what? We haven’t exactly figured out the magic formula for balancing admiring the female form with respecting that women amount to more than tits and bums.
We’re trapped between being expected to be pleasing on the eye, but not so pleasing that we tempt someone into doing something we don’t want them to.
Imams describe the expectation of modesty as being about respecting women for more than her sexuality.
Which makes me wonder, who really has more freedom?