In early May, Yasmin Nouh -- a blog editor at the Huffington Post website – stated: “Muslim women worldwide wear the hijab -- Islamic head covering -- in various ways,” which is “a testament to the rich diversity of Muslim women.” She then asked readers to send a picture of themselves with a short description to “illustrate the vibrancy and diversity of women who wear it.”
A week later, Nouh -- who wears a hajib herself -- posted an article in the Religion section containing 20 entries that show “the world how truly diverse Muslim women who wear the headscarf can be,” ranging from “having the freedom to live and express myself in my own way while still holding on to my beliefs and values” to "I'm Muslim and I'm proud!"
The post was a response to “a guide” published in the New York Times that only showed women from a few countries, and “all of the silhouettes were faceless” portrayals that “can contribute to a misperception that women wearing different scarves” are subservient.
One of the photographs was submitted by Footybedsheets, who wore a black scarf and stated: “I support choice. I support an (un)veiled woman's right to body autonomy. Also, men need to step back.”
A hijab “is never a sign of oppression, ignorance or falling in the shadows of society,” sara__alsharif asserted. “Not one time have I felt that my hijab is holding me back from something I would like to pursue.”
Every woman wearing a scarf “has a message to tell the world that she sends through the way she wears it,” she added. “So let every girl write her message with her own unique brush!”
Also, fifi_hijabista declared that wearing a hijab is “a sign of strength and forces people to see me for who I am and not for whatever unrealistic standard of beauty is being idolized at the moment.”
Wearing the scarf “is my identity,” rezzymosa explained. “it says 'I'm Muslim and I'm proud!' in the loudest way, through my choice is to dress as my foremothers did, and to carry that with me everywhere I go.”
Another blogger named auroraisnthome stated that wearing a hijab “is a physical manifestation of a promise I made with my Creator” and is “just a piece of cloth until we as Muslim women give it life through our intentions.”
“I have never felt more confident, never held my head as high as I do now,” she added.
jojzii also said she was proud of that tradition: “I wear it because it tells a story of who I am, where I'm from, and what I believe in before I even speak.”
“To me,” amirahcouture noted, a hijab “is beauty, sincerity, struggle, identity, strength, challenge, meaning, purpose, and most importantly, my choice!”
miss_balde stated: “Living in a society where the standards of beauty are unrealistic,” the hijab “made me realize that many of the stereotypical and sexist ideologies that plague today's societies stem from the judgment of women based on their physical look.”
Instead, wearing the scarf provides “the freedom to rewrite my path, the path where the people I meet do not have a choice but to get to know me for the highly intelligent, confident and funny woman that I am.”
A poster named saramomo6 agreed with that sentiment:
I am so tired of the monolithic representation of Muslim women; these exhausted tropes do nothing to enrich our communities. ... I started wearing a hijab as a a sophomore in college primarily because I'm a wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve kind of person.
Meanwhile, MeanBasma said that the hijab “is a reminder that modesty does not limit my aspirations; ignorance does.”
“Hijab to me is about being comfortable in my own skin and having the confidence to tell people why I choose to dress the way I do,” rehamkhan stated.
“I wore my hijab turban style to work for the first time this week,” she added. “It was so refreshing to have respectful conversations” with coworkers, “especially on how Islam has been grossly distorted by the media.”
Poster amal.matan noted that the custom “is always paired with headphones, hope and bright eyes. Hijab is not an obstruction of beauty but a way of channeling it.”
"Hijab is far more meaningful than simply the physical aspect of covering myself,” sobi1canobi stressed. “Instead, the hijab serves as a means of empowerment and strength. As an American Muslim woman, hijab motivates me to constantly strive to better myself and work to benefit the world that surrounds me.”
Since this effort has been so successful, perhaps the next project will feature “beautiful reasons” Scots wear kilts? Or why Catholic priests wear white collars? The possibilities are endless!
