PETALING JAYA, Jan 23 — An Instagram influencer and model suffered the wrath of social media users recently when she was caught on Instagram without the tudung while vacationing in Phuket, Thailand.
Sharifah Rose found herself in social media’s crosshairs when she was seen not wearing the religious headscarf during a beach holiday with some friends and a man believed to be her boyfriend.
Sharifah, who is said to be dating the stepson of Malaysian singer Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza, Aaazief Khalid, was also labelled a hypocrite by some social media users.
mungkin dia bukan macam awak alhamdulillah dikelilingi kawan kawan yang baik. yang nasihat awak. kadang kadang benda tu kita nampak macam simple ja kan takkan takleh buat tapi kita pun kena fikir banyak segi bila tanya. setiap orang lain lain.
— 🥦 (@Nunabilaaaaa) January 22, 2020
The negative reactions prompted the model to address the uproar in a tweet where she apologised to offended Malaysians who viewed her free-hair blunder as an act that contradicted her image as a hijabi.
Describing the incident as the “stupidest 10 minutes of her life,” Sharifah said she was sorry and there was no excuse for what she did.
She explained her cap got wet while at the beach and she removed it to let it dry but her picture was unknowingly taken by a friend who posted it up on Instagram Stories.
— sabrina (@sharifahrose) January 22, 2020
She also asked followers to delete the viral image of her without the tudung as she has “learned her lesson”.
In the midst of all the kerfuffle, Malaysians on Twitter have defended the model, asking members of the public to stop humiliating Sharifah.
“Why are you guys so stupid to the point she has to say sorry for not wearing the tudung? So crazy to shame her openly,” @ciliapipedas wrote.
You dont owe any apology at all. It's really your own body. No one should dictate what you should or shouldn't wear.
— khairul 🇲🇾 (@khairull___) January 22, 2020
Ikr. I am not one of her fans but again, as what you said that she didnt owe any apologies to public. They all just buat teruk
— jyr4 (@jyramaarof) January 22, 2020
Truthfully, you don't owe anyone an explanation. It’s your personal life and choice, they don’t have the right to talk about it. I’m sorry you had to go through this sweetheart. I hope you’ll feel better soon ♥️ sending virtual hugs to you
— NZ (@blackabayachic) January 22, 2020
Stay strong. You know better than anyone.
— Azfarism (@Azfarovski) January 22, 2020
“This episode is just like Emma Maembong’s episode previously,” said @kharamohas.
The tweet was referring to the Malay-British actress who was targeted by social media user after she decided to stop donning the tudung.
The growing trend of policing women’s clothing has caused female celebrities and public figures to come under fire such as Emma Maembong, Puteri Aishah, Zizi Kirana and Fathia Latiff.