So you’re a Muslim girl. You’ve decided to put on the veil and the modesty that comes with it. Does this mean you stop being fashionable or stylish too? Does it mean you don’t want to be fashionable or stylish, does it mean you’re not allowed to be fashionable or stylish? The Sydney Morning Herald had a very interesting article on 1 May 2007 called Looking beyond the veil.
The thing that interested me was to these women putting on the hijab suddenly means that they are “ambassadors for their faith”. There is no ambiguity about which religion they belong to and no ambiguity that they feel themselves to be devout. I think there is a bravery to this in a western country, especially into today’s world.
Six months ago P and I had a long holiday through Turkey, Jordan and Egypt and we saw many women who were working their traditional garb. Our guide in Alexandria was a seriously stylish young woman; Converse sneakers, long denim skirt, leather jacket, Diesel bag, and of course a headscarf, which tied in beautifully with the rest of her outfit.
Do you wear a hijab and how do you feel about it? Do people treat you differently because of it? Do you feel that you can still be stylish with your hijab? Tell us your stories.
RELATED How to wear it Ballet flats, Skinny jeans, Dresses over pants
10 chic comments:
I live in a rather international city and so there are quite a few women wearing hijabs (a lot more than outside the city limits). The ones I have seen, really make it work for them by using such beautiful fabric. Sometimes I'm a bit jealous ;)
Me too. They get to wear one more accessory...
Wow, great post! [Been reading your blog for some time, commented for the first!]
I live in an Arab country, but I've just recently moved from North America...
I'm a hijabi, & it's never been difficult for me, going to a high school in N. America, fitting in, etc. It's true that people were sometimes hesitant in approaching me, & I've been asked many times why "you wear that thing??" It's in my religion, simple as that, God told me to in the Quran...I say that..but of course, it requires "more" of an explanation for most people, although that is the reason I do it.
I think once you've established the purpose with someone..once they understand your reasons for taking up something like hijab, they respect you more than anything else.
Nearly all my best friends were hijabis at that old school, but that was because we "connected," not because of segregation or racism or whatever. Well, obviously, I've been the target of minor racism just for wearing a hijab..but they were the sort of harmless incidents which made the perpetrator seem idiotic, & were easy to laugh off. :)
I have a great collection of gorgeous scarves, & no, it doesn't detract from style, for me. The hardest part is making sure not to wear the trendy tight clothing, as that goes against the Quran. But even that bit's easy to deal with:
lotsa skirts, loose jeans, jackets, dress-over-jeans, as you said, etc... Since I became a hijabi [2 yrs ago], I've discovered that my style has grown & become more polished..you need an eye for textures & fabrics & outfits in general when shopping..
It's easy to dress beautifully, hijabi or not!
Hey [A}, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thought about being a hijabi with us! Can I ask about how you felt when you put it on for the first time (unless it's too private)? I have to say, from checking out your blog, you are one stylish woman!
Well my dad was extremely annoyed with me!!! My parents were pretty surprised, & I remember my mom was proud. Other than that...I felt dowdy...cuz the scarf I had on was this ugly grey-brown. :) & I felt excited.
Here are links you might find interesting/insightful on the subject.
http://www.youngmuslims.ca/publications/hijab.asp
http://www.youngmuslims.ca/articles/display.asp?ID=39
The author for the 2nd displays a lot of bias, but the essay does have it's moments!
[A}, thanks for sharing that with us, I appreciate it!
I was not wearing hijab when I met my now best friend. I told her that I didn't want to be the poster child for Islam-one of my many excuses for not wearing it- later, after we decided that we do adore each other, she admitted how she want to beat me down in that first flippant meeting! But I was being sincere.
Now that I wear it I feel like EVERYTHING I do is the epitome of Muslimah behavior- as in "Oh look Muslims eat Dairy Queen, Oh look Muslims drink lattes, oh look Muslims wear ballet flats....
but really the kicker is- I design jewelry and women always look FLOORED when I tell them. One even said something about how sad it was that I couldn't wear any...yeah babe, just envy my 22k!
Anyhoo-I work it. Natural fibers. Myriad of colors, textures and prints. Flow and drape. ;)
~Brooke
Hey Brooke, thanks for sharing your perspective! It has to be a bit of a strain being so publically on display all the time, "oh look, Muslims wear ballet flats". Not many other groups of people have to put up with that kind of scrutiny.
I'd love to see the jewelery you design, do you have a website? If so, post it in a comment.
Thanks
Icy
I know this is a bit late.. I was arguing the possibility to dress well in hijab with a coworker. Most people at my job (I dress "business casual" at an Emergency room in a USA West Coast big city) say I'm one of the most color coordinated and stylish people they know :). I wear shorter skirts over pants, or shorter dresses over pants for a cute style. Summer it's all about light fabrics and winter it's layers. When the knee high boots came back I got skirts that were half calves and used boots to cover the remainder of my legs. Wearing hijab doesn't mean being unstylish. I agree it makes one an ambassador of faith. It's my dawa; people I work with or patients like to ask me about Islam and this is useful for everyone.
Peace,
erica aisha
Hey Erica, it's never to late for a great comment ^_^. I'm rather partial to the skirt/dress over pants myself. I think it's a really effective look and I love your sense of style.
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