My First Hijab Experience (Share Yours Too!)
Tuesday, September 08, 2009 Read more → Allah God, hijab, hijab fashion, Middle-East, teenager In the name of God, entirely Compassionate, especially Merciful | Peace be with you
In the name of God, compassionate & merciful بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Peace be with you السلام عليكم
Tell us your story! We'd love to hear it :) :
1- When you began to wear hijab, what did it feel like? What did *you* feel like?
2- How old were you?
3- What did you wear for starters? What did you like about it? What did you not like about it?
4- What was your experience when you first went outside or to school in it?
5- Why did you decide to wear hijab?
6- Did it make you feel self confident or self conscious?
7- Did you ever feel less pretty in hijab? If so, why?
My First Hijab Experience:
I decided to wear hijab when I was 12 1/2. I was encouraged by my then best friend as well, and a lot of girls in our Egyptian middle school started donning it.
Believe it or not, I started out with one of those Al-Amira hijabs. I also wore what was supposed to be a long under scarf or bonnet, only on the outside lol. I didn't enjoy them at all but I didn't know much about scarves at the time.
I didn't look that well in my noobie hijab...infact I probably looked horrible most of the time with my chubby face sticking out of a thin single layer of scarf material that framed my face in all the wrong ways. But hey, I didn't know any better. Even when I wore oblong scarves with no pins, tucking part of the end into my jaw area (which I learned from my friend), I still didn't look decent lol.
Now, now, don't get offended by all this. This is how I felt wearing these types of scarves. And it was a pretty tough age too. There are plenty of women who wear Al-Amirah hijabs or simplistic wraps that look great and feel contented with their appearance. I respect any woman who makes an effort to cover herself in general (not that I disrespect non hijabis).
However, when I first put it on infront of the mirror in my bedroom, I immediately thought of the word "pure". I felt pure. And proud of my identity.
I didn't have any problems going out with it since I live in Egypt, but I was picked on in school because I looked silly in it sometimes, probably due to my short hair that would stick out like triangles on the sides under the scarf and make me look like The Sphinx :P.
Contrary to most Muslimas, I wore hijab mostly with a "why not" attitude. I didn't intentionally wear it for the sake of Allah or because of my religion. Of course that was on the list! But it wasn't the very first reason. I think my number one reason was because I didn't like how I looked anyway and my friends started wearing it...so..."why not?". It wasn't until later that I became devoted to it in a religious manner and with Islamic intentions.
It wasn't easy. I was not that self confident when I began to wear it, especially after some of the "noob hijabi" feeling wore off. I even thought of taking it off sometimes. It was not the hijab's fault, but rather my manner in how I wore it. I learned so much after that and how big a role it plays in feeling good about yourself once you know how to wear it right.
So yeah I didn't really feel "pretty" in it. What I mean is it did not compliment me whatsoever. But all that vanished once the hijab fashion scene rose in the middle east. I felt like we finally had a place in society rather than looked down to or left out.
In Egypt, before 2003, hijab was for poor women. For self conscious uneducated poor women. I'm not joking. This was the stereotype. Now, there's almost way more hijabis than non hijabis (In fact, I might just write a post just about that).
That's why I became a sort of "Hijab Guru/Stylist" on youtube. Because I hear about a lot of pre-teens having so much trouble with hijab and it affecting their self esteem and I knew how it felt, and I wanted to encourage them.
Wear hijab for the sake of Allah, and go ahead and look good in it. But remember your Islam comes first before style.
So what was you experience like? :))
Leave a comment!
By: The Diva
Peace & respect ★
Tell us your story! We'd love to hear it :) :
2- How old were you?
3- What did you wear for starters? What did you like about it? What did you not like about it?
4- What was your experience when you first went outside or to school in it?
5- Why did you decide to wear hijab?
6- Did it make you feel self confident or self conscious?
7- Did you ever feel less pretty in hijab? If so, why?
My First Hijab Experience:
I decided to wear hijab when I was 12 1/2. I was encouraged by my then best friend as well, and a lot of girls in our Egyptian middle school started donning it. Believe it or not, I started out with one of those Al-Amira hijabs. I also wore what was supposed to be a long under scarf or bonnet, only on the outside lol. I didn't enjoy them at all but I didn't know much about scarves at the time.
I didn't look that well in my noobie hijab...infact I probably looked horrible most of the time with my chubby face sticking out of a thin single layer of scarf material that framed my face in all the wrong ways. But hey, I didn't know any better. Even when I wore oblong scarves with no pins, tucking part of the end into my jaw area (which I learned from my friend), I still didn't look decent lol.
Now, now, don't get offended by all this. This is how I felt wearing these types of scarves. And it was a pretty tough age too. There are plenty of women who wear Al-Amirah hijabs or simplistic wraps that look great and feel contented with their appearance. I respect any woman who makes an effort to cover herself in general (not that I disrespect non hijabis).
However, when I first put it on infront of the mirror in my bedroom, I immediately thought of the word "pure". I felt pure. And proud of my identity.I didn't have any problems going out with it since I live in Egypt, but I was picked on in school because I looked silly in it sometimes, probably due to my short hair that would stick out like triangles on the sides under the scarf and make me look like The Sphinx :P.
Contrary to most Muslimas, I wore hijab mostly with a "why not" attitude. I didn't intentionally wear it for the sake of Allah or because of my religion. Of course that was on the list! But it wasn't the very first reason. I think my number one reason was because I didn't like how I looked anyway and my friends started wearing it...so..."why not?". It wasn't until later that I became devoted to it in a religious manner and with Islamic intentions.
It wasn't easy. I was not that self confident when I began to wear it, especially after some of the "noob hijabi" feeling wore off. I even thought of taking it off sometimes. It was not the hijab's fault, but rather my manner in how I wore it. I learned so much after that and how big a role it plays in feeling good about yourself once you know how to wear it right.
So yeah I didn't really feel "pretty" in it. What I mean is it did not compliment me whatsoever. But all that vanished once the hijab fashion scene rose in the middle east. I felt like we finally had a place in society rather than looked down to or left out.
In Egypt, before 2003, hijab was for poor women. For self conscious uneducated poor women. I'm not joking. This was the stereotype. Now, there's almost way more hijabis than non hijabis (In fact, I might just write a post just about that).
That's why I became a sort of "Hijab Guru/Stylist" on youtube. Because I hear about a lot of pre-teens having so much trouble with hijab and it affecting their self esteem and I knew how it felt, and I wanted to encourage them.Wear hijab for the sake of Allah, and go ahead and look good in it. But remember your Islam comes first before style.
So what was you experience like? :))
Leave a comment!
By: The Diva
Peace & respect ★
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