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ENTITY Mariah Idrissi

Model Mariah Idrissi is the true definition of self acceptance. Her career shows the power of embracing yourself regardless of society’s norms.

Idrissi made a splash in the fashion world after she became the first model to wear a traditional hijab during an international campaign for H&M.

The Muslim model began her career in the 2015 H&M “Close the Loop” campaign, which focused on maintaining fashion through recycled clothing. She’s featured briefly in the video advertisement, which went viral thanks to its inclusion of body types outside traditional American beauty standards. The campaign shows Idrissi modeling with her hijab on.

Since then, Idrissi has been getting attention worldwide for her unique stamp on beauty. Not only has she been speaking publicly about life as a Muslim, but she’s also been working to bring the hijab to the forefront of American fashion. She’s vocal about issues she faces in the industry and is truly an inspiration.

Not everybody is into diversity

Surprisingly, the way Idrissi caught the world’s eye is now the same thing that reportedly got her kicked off a beauty campaign.

Idrissi told ITV News that she was removed from the unnamed campaign because it was believed her hijab would exclude audiences.

“One of the outlets that needed to sign it off refused on the basis that ‘We think Mariah wearing a hijab is going to limit the audience, because she’s a Muslim,'” Idrissi explained. “Just the fact that I wear a hijab, they thought their audience wouldn’t buy the product.”

Idrissi chose an act of bravery instead of just accepting the note for the sake of her career. She went against the status quo, even if that meant taking a hit.

In response to being removed from the campaign, Idrissi tweeted, “If a company doesn’t want to stock a product with your face on it because they think ‘it singles out an audience wearing a hijab’ as if to say only white people are universal marketable faces and the rest of us are not. THATS VERY WRONG.”

Neither the campaign nor the outlet has been confirmed at this time.

ENTITY talks about Mariah Idrissi

Photo via Instagram / @mariahidrissi

The Comeback

Despite the setback, she continues to model, appearing in magazines like Elle, Marie Claire and Teen Vogue.

However, she’s not just a pretty face. According to her management, Idrissi uses her career to support humanitarian causes and to be a voice for her community. She has also added public speaking to her resume.

In a talk with TEDxTeen, she said she hopes to change the face of fashion and inspire all women with her message of equality.

“I’m not only a hijabi model, I’ve also had this weight placed on me as a spokesperson for hijab, for modesty, for fashion, for Islam… And, of course, I wouldn’t change it for the world, but it shows me that we still have a long way to go in changing people’s mentalities,” Idrissi explained.

Idrissi is not letting adversity define the rest of her career or change her personal values. Idrissi shows that it’s all right to not accept beauty standards. We can create our own definitions, and that’s powerful.

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