Representation Matters

Halima Aden is considered to be the first American hijab-wearing supermodel. This 20-year-old Model is noted for being the first Somali-American to compete and become a finalist in the Miss Minnesota pageant. Appearing in many campaigns Aden is a representation for Muslim women around the world by breaking barriers and overcoming negative stereotypes that are associated with wearing the hijab. There are various times where Aden broke the internet by showing up in major fashion shows and campaigns some of which include: Kanye West’s fashion line, Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty make up campaign for women of all skin tones, and fashion shows in New York, London, Italy and Dubai.

“Growing up, I knew what it was like not having representation. When I say representation, I just mean people who resemble you or someone you could relate to, or someone who even dresses like you. Not having somebody that you can look up to, it did affect me in a way. If I can give that opportunity to a girl, where she can flip through a magazine and see someone dressed like her, or someone who looks like her or has a similar background, I think that’s important. There’s a lack of communication and people don’t really understand about Somali culture. Me being out in the public and displaying my religion, my faith, being different to what the stereotype is — I think that has opened a lot of people’s eyes.” – Halima Aden

Shahd Batal is a YouTuber with over 100,000 subscribers. Batal does makeup tutorials showing what products work well for girls with a medium to deep skin tones. She also does look-book videos, these videos include Batal styling pieces of clothes from different stores. She styles trendy statement pieces to fit her personality while maintaining her modesty. She now travels to different cities and collaborates with different makeup brands in her tutorials.

“Once you know how to do eye-liner everyone automatically considers you as a makeup artist,” said Chinutay. 24-year-old beauty blogger Chinutay started doing YouTube videos at 18-years-old. She recently launched a hijab line and created it from the ground up, “I don’t have a background in business, I knew nothing about starting my own brand, but with help from a great team and learning how to do new things, I got to accomplish something meaningful to me,” said Chinutay.

“I met so many creative and inspirational women. I feel like what I do really empowers women, we all build a community and I love what the modest fashion shows stand for. For anyone who wants to start their own clothing line or any business idea, I say just start!” – Chinutay

There are many Muslim women around the world who see lack of representation within mainstream media. When I started wearing the hijab my wardrobe changed and it was suddenly difficult to find clothing pieces that have full coverage. As modest fashion became more popular, shopping has been easier for most Muslim women. Mariam Ahmed who is a student at York University said she enjoys that there are more options in stores, “Now when I go to the mall I have so many things to choose from and I love it, modest fashion applies to my everyday life and I like how positive the campaigns are,” said Ahmed. I decided to go around and ask women in the Muslim community how they interpret the concept of modest fashion. In this video some of these women share their about this movement.

Modest Fashion shows have recently been popular in many countries and cities around the world including: Toronto, London, Italy, and Dubai. The International Modest Fashion and Design Festival (IMFDF) is a fashion show that takes place in Toronto every summer. This show highlights chic modest fashion on the runway and celebrates women-led businesses. Women of all races and body types walk the runway and international vendors are showcased for their unique products.

Festival Director Fatima Beg said the networking potential for attendees is vast, and IMFDF encourages women to create genuine relationships and support each other through empowerment. “It’s inspiring seeing several women doing the same thing, hustling and being business owners. Just being in a space where people look like you and have similar goals, this is why I keep coming back to IMFDF,” said Omnia Abdorbo, co-partner of modest line, NeicyShop.