Story Time: Wearing My Hijab

So as you know, I’m a Muslim and a hijabi! So today I wanted to take a little bit of time to talk about what exactly a hijab is (I promise, it’s like a paragraph. I’m not about to preach to you to join the religion or anything. Just trying to clear some facts!), some common misconceptions, and why I wear it.

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So firstly, the concept of hijab is mostly about “Modesty”. BUT, most people think that hijab is JUST the act of covering your hair. But it’s also about just being modest in the way you act. AND, it isn’t just on females. Just to give a bit of background, the Quran says for men to lower their gazes (aka: stop staring) and to cover up and THEN it says for females to do the same. (Surah An-Nur, Ayah 30-31)

Now, I don’t want to go full preaching mode or anything. It’s just a common misconception that only women are supposed to be modest.

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ANYWAY, here are some really sarcastic answers to funny questions I’ve gotten or friends have gotten about the hijab (though some are old and people don’t really think it anymore, I’m sure😂)

1. Do you wear it in the shower? Yep. Shampooing your scarf will definitely hlp your hair be less gross. (My friend told me the perfect answer to this was “yes. I use Hijab and shoulders” and I wish I had come up with that)

2. Do you get hot in that? of course! But then again, I get hot wearing jeans and a shirt in the middle of summer.

3. Do you have anything hidden under there? Yes. Secrets. I’m Gretchen. That’s why my hijab is so big. or, alternatively, The Dark Lord He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named is there.

4. Can you show me your hair? I mean I could but in all honesty, it’s a mess.

5. Not really a question, but one time I overheard these two people talking. “Oh, man. I feel so bad for her having to wear that.” I wish I’d hadthe courage to go up to them and say 1) It’s not polite to talk about people behind their back and 2) I wasn’t forced to wear it. if anything, you should feel bad that I have to wear this uniform. It’s so tacky.

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I started wearing the hijab when the day before the first day of 9th grade. I always knew I wanted to wear the hijab. It wasn’t really expected of me but I just really wanted to. Like a rite of passage.

Part of me wanted to wear it because of religious reasons. I also just really look up to my mother, and she wears hijab as well.

But in a weird way, I really wanted to go into high school with some sort of transformation. Reading all these books featuring high schoolers, it felt like a trend that everyone comes back from summer break a new person. A better person. More popular, prettier, smarter, blah blah blah.

And going into high school seemed like the perfect time to work on my identity. I remember in my college applications, I wrote about the feeling of putting on my hijab and walking into school like I was in a reality TV show. I could hear the X Factor heartbeat as I walked through the entrance. I was excited and nervous.

What if my friends were actually low key racist and didn’t want to be friends with me anymore? What if they didn’t recognize me? Did the scarf make my face look weird? Oh my gosh they match with my braces GROSS.

But thankfully, Nothing happened. My friends greeted me the same way (you have no idea the relief I felt.). They didn’t stare or even point it out!

Looking back, I’m just so grateful that my friends stuck by me. There were points where someone would say something and my friends wouldn’t be afraid to stick up for me. There was never a moment I regretted wearing it. (I mean, it was disgustingly hot, but that wouldn’t have changed if I didn’t wear it)

It’s always just been a part of my identity. It’s my superhero cape. My confidence booster. The way I express myself! (I love to match my hijabs obviously)

The last thing I wanted to address was this false idea that the hijab means “don’t talk to me. Don’t ask me.”. On the contrary, I think wearing a hijab means (among other things) that I’m a proud Muslim. That you shouldn’t be afraid to ask me about it. It’s like the (slightly less tacky) version of the vests workers wear at Walmart. It’s an invitation to ask me about my religion.

It wouldn’t offend me to be asked a question. It would offend me if you just assumed instead. So if you’d like, go ahead and ask! (Questions about hijab, the Quran, Islam… anything!)

Do you have a significant point in your life that you identify as your rite of passage?