ABSTRACT
Background: Foreign body aspiration is a common life threatening emergency, but, largely a preventable problem. The object aspirated depends on various factors, such as age, sex, occupation, geographical area, socio-cultural factors, economic status, and nutritional habits. In recent years some traditional/social habits and fashion trends of using headscarf/ hijab pins have become a discrete category of foreign body aspiration in young Muslim/Islam girls wearing headscarves. Objective: To highlight the increasing number of cases coming to clinical attention with headscarf pin aspiration. India having a growing population which is young and fashion oriented, the awareness of this problem needs to improve. Discussion: In recent times young adolescent Muslim girls use multiple matching small headscarf pins to fix the hijab as a fashion trend. Adolescent girls and adults tend to hold the headscarf pin between their lips while wearing the headscarves using their two hands to secure the veil. Lack of concentration or activities such as laughter, talking, and coughing predisposes them to aspiration, especially in young teenage groups where they lack experience in such manoeuvres. Conclusion: Accidental foreign body aspiration to a large extent is a preventable problem and more so in the case of headscarf pin. Appropriate interventions need to be planned as more young population is getting involved.