Unboxing by Husband has taken over TikTok in Malaysia and the rest of the world.
Men are seen removing their wives’ headscarves in trending videos in January. These videos have been shared on TikTok or Twitter.
However, they received the most attention on TikTok, with Muslims in Malaysia – where the videos originated – criticising the ‘creators’ of the short films.
In some cases, users have posted videos attacking Muslim grooms for removing their wives’ headscarves. Several users started making videos showing how to remove veils properly, but cutting off the videos off before the hair is revealed.
Some attempt to mimic the trend without depicting the removal of headscarves, but with messages stating that doing so is ‘haram’ or that those who do so are uncivilised.
The video is accompanied by texts on the screen saying, ‘Too bad, it is a red flag for the first night’. Those with female companions will understand the allusion to the “red flag”.
In English, it means ‘this is what’s trending, right?’ and the hashtags highlight the words marriage, bride, and the first night. There are also videos of Malaysian religious leaders commenting on the ‘Unboxing by Husband’ phenomenon.
The speakers agree that this practice is against Islamic customs and that the husbands are either selling their wives to viewers or will be damned.