Hafsa Elazzaoui
From Boho Chic to Grunge. The past few years, mostly thanks to Instagram, Hijabis found a platform that allows them to express themselves. This concept also created the opportunity for bloggers to be a source of inspiration not only for Muslim women but for everyone interested in fashion. Showing the world that wearing the hijab leaves plenty of room for self-expression without clashing with religion.
The first thought that most people have about Muslim women is that they are oppressed and that they have to wear the hijab. This is why I’m happy with the existence of social media like Instagram in particular. Like I said before, this platform allows hijabis to express themselves and states the opposite of the narrow minded verdicts that some people make.
This is why I looked for different bloggers from across the globe to show how diverse yet alike they are. The place where they live has a big influence on the way they dress. For example the South-African @Kauthar_b’s bohemian style. This style really suits the environment she lives in and makes her one with the nature. While @lifelongpercussion and @Saraahdii are more influenced by the concrete jungle they live in and their style can be described as urban chic.
But it is about more than finding themselves in fashion. Bloggers also want to make a statement with the clothing they are wearing. Most of the time they do this by wearing statement items. Making their clothes not only a way to express their style but also their opinion about current issues in society. Like Coco Chanel once said: ““Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
Referring to the Palestine-Israel conflict.
(I’m from there, I’m for here and not from there. not from here). Because of their double nationality some are considered outsiders in the country of birth and the country of origin.
A reference to the beauty ideal that is imposed by today’s society.
“Making their clothes not only a way to express their style but also their opinion about current issues in society.”
A current must do in fashion is thrift shopping. It’s more fun than buying new stuff. Besides it being fun you have some main advantages: you give the clothes a second life –good for the environment-, you get cheap at twice the price and no one else will walk around with the same item! @Ziziosashion perfectly knows how to do this. She pulls off fierce looks wearing her father’s vintage shirts. I would love to wear my father’s shirts but I still haven’t managed to take a shirt from his closet without him noticing. She is into grunge and vintage and manages to do this without disrespecting her hijab.
“She pulls off fierce looks wearing her father’s vintage shirts.”
There is also a difference in how to wear the headscarf. The way the hijab is worn also differs from area to area. For example @Shazaira chooses to wear the turban. This is more fashionable than the simple hijab. Personally I’m not a big fan of the turban. Yet the way she manages to keep her outfits modest is really amazing.
@Devotedlyyours –her name says it al- is a devoted fashion blogger that manages to devote to her family and followers. She is the perfect example of a mom that finds the time to enjoy fashion and dress up. Sometimes she even matches her outfit with the outfit of her little one.
“Sometimes she even matches her outfit with the outfit of her little one.”
As a conclusion we can say that Muslim women like to dress up just like any other woman and don’t only wear those dresses that look like “a burlap sack”.
