To Be Hijabi, or Not to Be?

I just read this amazing article featured on Oprah.com about this half white, half lebanese, nine year old girl who chooses to wear the headscarf. The article is from her mother's point of view; and she explores the idea of covering up as an outlet to discover oneself. Take a look and see what you think:

Choosing To Wear the Headscarf - article linked here.

Excerpts from the article that especially resonated with me:
"Since that day in Venice Beach, I'd spent years learning to swim in the turbulent currents of attraction—wanting to be desired, resisting others' unwelcome advances, plumbing the mysterious depths of my own longing. I'd spent countless hours studying my reflection in the mirror—admiring it, hating it, wondering what others thought of it—and it sometimes seemed to me that if I had applied the same relentless scrutiny to another subject I could have become enlightened, written a novel, or at least figured out how to grow an organic vegetable garden."

I agree with what she's saying here, I've had different points in my life where I'm very modest - to the point where I forget that I have curves of any kind and that I could use them to my "advantage" (a horrible dumb-it-down scheme the media feeds to women making them believe that if their appearance is up to par - they don't need to have a brain or opinions or thoughts) or very immodest - to the point where I become overly obsessed with my appearance and forget my actual purpose in life. Honestly, moderation is key, I'm happiest when I'm in the middle of both extremes - "O you who believe! Make not unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, but Commit no excess: for Allah loves not those given to excess." (5.87) - I am by no means saying that one should ever use their body to get ahead by unlawful means, but it is definitely necessary to feel good about oneself so that Muslimah's are associated with high self-esteem and great poise - I would go to such an extreme that I would stop exercising and wearing nice clothes.

"I understood then that while physical exposure had liberated me in some ways, Aliya could discover an entirely different type of freedom by choosing to cover herself."

This is so TRUE. I feel as American-Muslims especially, we should explore and create dialogue about the kind of freedom that stems from dressing modestly. It's so pleasant to know that you have the power to let someone into your space as opposed to knowing that everyone knows/imagines what every curve of your body looks like unclothed. ALLAHUAKBAR!

Peace.

Orange Crush - Outfit

Mm orange! Haha I'm actually getting sick... and when I get sick I try to get as much vitamin C as possible i.e. oranges! So I decided that an orange-y outfit was in order. The Champaigne Sherbert Coat (how much are you loving that pattern? It's supposed to be inspired from Greek letters), L.A.M.B. tote, and bracelets are from Nordstrom. Marisa Fit Trouser Jeans a la Victoria's Secret (check them out they have some cute wide leg pants), and the sandals are from Urban Outfitters. I loove the shayla, it's from Al Muhajaba El Aniqa and I personally like mixing patterns but of course, it's just a suggestion.

salaam

A Pinch of Green Outfit

It's finally sunny again! yaay, in celebration, here is an "I'm so glad it's almost spring" outfit or a St. Patricks day one haha (note the word play "pinch" of green). The trapeze top is from Gap, jeans: True Religion Candice Wide leg, adorable granny satchel purse and bangles from Urban Outfitters, peep toe wedges from H&M and both scarves are from H&M as well. I decided that both of the scarves looked really good in their own way, so you can decide!

Spanish Serenity - Outfit

Here's a good transition outfit since the weather's starting to get a bit warmer - hence the sandals and white pants! The gold necklace reminds me of a Spanish gate and it complements the gold in the scarf nicely, no? (yes, I am totally going to flatter myself until I start getting more comments haha). The top is from Forever 21, bag, sandals, and necklace are from Urban Outfitters, pants a la Abercrombie & Fitch, and the scarf is from H&M. enjoy!

peace

Vintage Inspired Outfit

(click it so you can admire it with a closer eye)
As I was browsing through the Rebirth of Chic website I came across the GORGEOUS hijab above. howww vintage inspired is it?! Soo I created an outfit for it... Suede flats, canvas hobo (which is actually huge, but I had to resize it to fit), and grey pants are all from Old Navy; shirred sweater top from twelvebytwelve.com; and the pearl bracelet is from perlunapearls.com (super expensive ha, but I had to add it). I think these colors complement eachother well, they remind me of an oyster shell. Which reminds me of a story...

When I used to have days like "OMG why can't I just go out after Maghrib and blah blah" my mom always told me this extended metaphor: first I was to imagine that there is a pearl that has "been around" and is rolling all over the streets, and it's super dirty - if you saw that pearl would you even take a second glance? And then there'd be another pearl that had kept itself safely in it's oyster and was clean - which one would I prefer? Naturally, the clean one. So I think of the oyster as being the limits that I've put on myself - not as my house because it's the 21st century and us Muslimahs have to uphold our Din when it is wrongly slandered about - we have a voice and aren't afraid to use it! But essentially we have set out limits for ourselves as we amalgamate Islamic morals into our modern Western lifestyles, and I believe that is our oyster shell.

Hints of Yellow - Outfit

okay, so I love winter, but I've noticed that I tend to reach for dark colors during this season... I don't even know why because I mean it's already pretty dull outside. Thus, I incorporated yellow into this outfit, because it's a happy/sunshine-esque color. Sometimes it's hard to wear straight up yellow - however I am a big fan of pops of color so here we are:


mm and I was thinking a yellow handbag if you feel like.. but I couldn't find any that particularly "tickled my fancy" heh. The dress is from express, the hijab from www.thecanadianmuslim.ca, peep toes, bangles, and pants all from banana republic (they have an amazing 70% off sale right now actually so check that out).

Pretty much everything in this outfit was on sale - you love it.