Headscarf Narrative

If the author wanted to learn more about Muslim women, she should have sought them out and spent time with them — those who wear hijabs as well as those who don’t. Then, instead of speaking on behalf of Muslim women’s “unheard voice” by talking about her own hijab experiment (“My hijab silenced, but simultaneously, my hijab brought unforgettable words”), she should have asked them to share their own experiences as Muslim women. Then they would have a voice.

Whether or not I wear a piece of cloth on my head does not define my relationship with my religion nor does it reflect my abandonment. What I do reflects who I am, not who my parents are, not what my gender is, and certainly not what my religion is. For me, college is not just about furthering my education. It’s a place where I get to explore who I am and how to express myself. Entering college with my hijab off will allow me to start with a blank canvas and figure out who I want to be. It will allow me to discover who I am without any backlash to people who may share an identity with me. My existence and the way I express myself is a form of resistance in a world that is judgmental of the way I look. I'm glad that I went through this journey because it made me understand that my religion is a part of who I am, whether or not I look the

My parents raised me to be true to who I am and not let what others think bother me. As I get older and continue through high school, I notice how my fellow students only do what has to be done to be considered popular and part of the “cool crowd.” In high school if you’re the only one without a pair of Ugg Boots, Miss Me jeans, Toms, Sperry’s, a North Face or Corral Boots, then you feel as if you’re not popular and unimportant as the girls that

I remember a time when I discovered that the world was stranger than I had thought as a child. I was in elementary school. I come from a rather small town so every little thing that was not considered to be the “norm” really stood out. One of the kids in my class had gotten the sides of his head shaved, so it was a buzzed mohawk. At the time I was around 5, and I had never seen anything like it. Now I can go to the mall and see mesh “shirts” with nipple rings shining through and green hair. I look back now and a mohawk seems like nothing compared to the things you see now.

I was six years old, dressed in pink, dreaming of one day when I would become a princess. That day never came. Little did I know what being a girl would entail in the future. Soon I would be thirteen, putting on a cake-face of makeup and new clothes that my mom barely approved of so I could get the attention of the boy that sat next to me in math class. Then I turned eighteen and still had to look my best when I was trying to get into a sorority at Michigan State University. I wanted to be six again. I wanted my mom to dress me, do my hair, and have nothing to worry about. Being a girl is and always will be hard.

Growing older, I started to see differences that were colliding between the two cultures that I was breathing in. One being my gender. Every southern girl loves sipping sweet tea on the sandy beach in bikinis with her favorite pals, however as a Indian girl, I had limits that were considered acceptable, wearing a bikini was not one of them. I had trouble convincing my mom to let me wear a bikini, but after often seeing that I was obeying the many other parts of her culture, she decided to open and made adjustments and

When I started going to school in Canada I felt pressured to redefine my identity and felt pressured to take my hijab off because I wanted to fit, I wanted other people to see me like they would see any other person. I wanted to let my long, thick, black hair out. I wanted it to dance in the wind, blow around wildly in different directions. I remember people asking me don’t you want to show your hair or don’t you get hot wearing hijab. I would tell them, of course, I want to take it off, but I can’t and they would ask me why, but I had no answer even though I was wearing hijab I didn’t know why I was wearing hijab, I didn’t know what it meant and what was the purpose of wearing hijab. So, I asked my mom, I read some books just to find out what does wearing hijab

I always had a clear sense of where I belonged and as a result I always made sure I never fell out of place. As I reached adolescence I became more self-conscious. The relationship with my hijab changed. I went from embracing it with pride and acceptance to me being resentful and confused.

As my life starts to unravel I was going to a school where everyone was happy. In 1978 I went to a non religious French school with boys and other girls. Suddenly in 1980 it all changed as the dynasty came and took over. We were forced to leave our friends and go to an all girl school. We were also forced to wear veils at school, but we didn't know what to do with

I lost some of my closest friends because they didn’t think it was “cool” hanging out with someone who wears something different. I became depressed and lost motivation to go to school. I did not tell my teachers because I was afraid of being known as a “tattle-tale”. My parents would ask me what’s wrong, but I would say that everything was okay. Furthermore, I thought my parents would convince me to take off the hijab and wear it when it was comfortable for me.

This was a way for the Islamic Republic to assert itself and display to the world – and the people of Iran – its traditional ideals. Upon the end of the revolution, many women who had not worn the veil previously took it up. For some this was still a sign of their support of the Islamic Republic and resistance to the Pahlavi regime. For others, the hijab was a symbol of their independence and an establishment of their political identities. It was a sign that they were actively contributing to the country to shape their futures. Unfortunately, though, this newfound independence was short-lived, as Khomeini made veiling compulsory shortly into his ruling, which was met with harsh

I started to dress the way i've always dreamed of dressing and dressing like this gave me so much confidence which was a very good thing because no teen should not feel as if they don't have any because having no confidence could really just bring you down and make you feel bad about yourself because I use to feel that way. Dressing the way I do today really gives me such confidence that I know I deserve, i'm not saying people should change their looks to get the confidence I have but do something that will make you happy and comfortable because the first step of confidence is to be comfortable with yourself and the things you do. I know at times not everyone has confidence like i still have my days when I don't feel like myself or i'm just not feeling it but now I know that I can get through it.

Muslim females, starting in their early teens, began wearing head scarves of many different types. The first kind is a niqab. This is a full face veil (Awan para. 17) with an opening for the eyes (Edmonds 2). Secondly, islamic women may wear an abaya. This is a full body cloak that covers everything except for the eyes (Edmonds 2). Also, they may wear a hijab. The word hijab can be used to describe all religious headscarves (Edmonds 2), but it usually refers to a specific headscarf that covers the head and chest area (Awan para. 9). Finally, they might wear a burkini, a full body swimsuit with an attached burqa, so they can participate in summer activities. No matter what type an Islamic women decides to wear; they start wearing them around ten to twelve years old to show their commitment to Allah, and express their purity, dignity, courage, and self

At about the age of 6, I used to think everyone was equal. I genuinely believed that people did not care about appearances. Believe it or not, I did not always wear a hijab. What is a hijab, you may ask? A hijab is a head covering Muslim females wear as a symbol of religious beliefs to show modesty.

When I was younger, I honestly have no memories of being told, “only boys play with that,” or “girls wear dresses.” I come from a very open minded family who accepts me for who I am. According to the traditional ways in society, girls like pink and purple, and boys like blue and green. I do remember playing with a lot of Barbie dolls and wearing my pink skirt, but my favorite color was orange and I played football out in the yard with the rest of the neighborhood kids. When I was in the fourth grade I only wore jeans and long sleeved shirts, I would not even wear capris all the way up until I graduated high school. That was the year I first became self conscious about myself and learned what