Jenifer Sayyed
After Mattel announced a line of new Barbie dolls with curves, here comes Hijarbie. The Hijarbie, created by the 24-year-old Haneefah Adam, who wanted to see Barbie dressed the way she is, has given the popular doll its most surprising makeover yet – all covered up and wearing a hijab. Adam said a look at the hugely popular Barbie Style Instagram “got me thinking about how I’d actually like to see a doll dressed up like I would have: covered up.”
“I was mulling about the idea for about three months while I was still studying for my master’s degree in the UK. When I got back to Nigeria, I went to the mall, purchased a doll, dressed it up, documented it and here we are,” she told Style.Mic.
Adam, who currently owns and runs a lifestyle brand called Hanie, posts about her Hijarbies on an Instagram account which already has over 17,000 of followers. “I want Hijarbie to inspire the Muslim girl child. It’s about having a doll that looks like her, that represents her own cultural and religious background.”
At the end of the day, it will create a sense of value and will be inspiring them to be more confident, more driven, to believe more in themselves which leads to an appreciation of herself and her modest lifestyle and upbringing,” Adam says.
For those wondering when purchase will be possible: “As soon as possible, we are in the process of building a website, working towards production, and making Hijarbie available for purchase soon,” Adam said on an Instagram post along with a photograph of herself that shows the doll wearing a hijab. Until then, you can follow her on Instagram at @Hijarbie.
