Wow! The Hijab Gets Fashionable

Young Muslim women are starting to add color and style to their headscarves, called hijabs.

One reason for the new trend, reports the New York Times, is “the proliferation of glossy, fashionable images on social media sites.”  That “could be making young women more confident about wearing the hijab.”

Another reason may have been the release last year of the music video “Mipsterz” mixed to Jay Z’s “Somewhere in America” that featured urban women dressed in head scarves skateboarding, juggling and doing handstands.”

Ascia Sarrha has an Instgram account with over 900,000 in which she models a “kaleidoscope of stylish, but modest, outfits from brands from Diesel and BCBG.”  Other outlets for the fashionable headscarves include Haute Hijab in Chicago, and Hijab Stylist in Australia. Some Muslim women, like Yasemin Kanar, market the new styles on blogs.

Students might enjoy this story and learn a little about about the tension between fashion and faith. The  New York Times also has a slide show with eight photos.