VOA标准英语2012--Turkish Fashion Magazine Targets Female Islamic Professionals

 

Turkish Fashion Magazine Targets Female Islamic Professionals

In a swanky five-star hotel in old Istanbul a fashion shoot is taking place. But it is not for your typical fashion publication. It's for Ala, a magazine catering¹ to pious² head-scarf-wearing, working woman.

Within a year it has shaken the Turkish fashion world, attracting a number of subscribers rivaling its secular³ counterparts.

The woman behind Ala, 24-year-old Hulya Aslan, said "This magazine is aimed at conservative women who need a magazine to offer alternatives in their lifestyles, she says. The other magazines did not represent them, they could not find things that corresponded to their needs and desires. They did not offer them a lifestyle they aspired⁴ to. They were in search of something and at that moment we offered them Ala magazine and filled a gap in Turkey."

The magazine has tapped into the growing Islamic middle class in Turkey that has prospered⁵ under the Islam-inspired Justice and Development Party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

The party eased a ban on the wearing of religious dress for women in universities, a ban that forced Aslan to forgo⁶ her education.

"Before, our covered friends, covered sisters were not even able to study at universities, they did not have the way of life they wanted, she says. They were constantly being subject to obstacles. They could not even work in state offices. So then, the situation was like that there was not even a possibility of such a magazine. But in the last 10 years, the situation has changed and with this change the needs and demands increased. By answering to these demands Ala magazine has gained incredible success," she said. 

Such is the success of the Ala magazine, it has given its name to a new generation of Turkish women, who balances her religious beliefs with a desire for fashion. Ala Fashion Editor Tuba Tunc explains, saying, "Both feminine and covered, chic⁷ and with quality. I want to say this in all my sincerity⁸, this is my goal, because this is how I am and I love being like this, she says. This is an Ala woman and this is what our magazine represents."

But Ala magazine has been criticized by some in the pro-Islamist media. One writer accused Ala of corrupting⁹ women and said the fashion publication undermines the principal of Islam which he claimed calls for women to dress modestly. 

But Tunc dismisses such criticism. "Being covered does not mean you do not follow fashion. I think any woman whether covered or not can follow and dress up according to fashion if they want and if they do it correctly. Tunc says. There is no problem in that. I want modern, covered, attractive, elite¹⁰ women who know how to dress and who can carry well what they wear," said Tunc. 

With Turkey in the midst of a consumer boom and Ala circulation over 200,000 and rising, in one of the fashionable high streets of Istanbul it is not difficult to find an Ala woman. 

"The stores we can shop from are very limited. Ala magazine is helping¹¹ us with that. They offer alternatives to us such as recommending outfits¹² in stores, places to go that are appropriate for women like me," said one woman. 

And with the magazine already well established in the Turkish fashion world, it is already planning a fashion TV program, and ultimately editions in the Arabic world and in European countries where large Muslim populations live.

1 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

2 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

4 aspired   

v.渴望，追求( aspire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She aspired to a scientific career. 她有志于科学事业。
• Britain,France,the United States and Japan all aspired to hegemony after the end of World War I. 第一次世界大战后，英、法、美、日都想争夺霸权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

6 forgo   

v.放弃，抛弃

参考例句：

• Time to prepare was a luxuary he would have to forgo.因为时间不够，他不得不放弃做准备工作。
• She would willingly forgo a birthday treat if only her warring parents would declare a truce.只要她的父母停止争吵，她愿意放弃生日宴请。

7 chic   

n./adj.别致(的)，时髦(的)，讲究的

参考例句：

• She bought a chic little hat.她买了一顶别致的小帽子。
• The chic restaurant is patronized by many celebrities.这家时髦的饭店常有名人光顾。

8 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

9 corrupting   

（使）败坏( corrupt的现在分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏

参考例句：

• It would be corrupting discipline to leave him unpunished. 不惩治他会败坏风纪。
• It would be corrupting military discipline to leave him unpunished. 不惩治他会败坏军纪。

10 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句