Bold, and blunt fashionista, Mariah Idrissi has star power to spare. Idrissi is a fashionista, model, poet of Nasheed, entrepreneur, and, according to her Instagram profile, “the face of modest fashion.”
On her Instagram she posts selfies of herself and sometimes short videos, one features her boldly staring into the camera and asserting “one thing about me is that I will not shy away from being Muslim. I don’t care if it’s about fashion, politics, I wear a hijab because I’m a Muslim.”
Idrissi made media headlines last year after H&M aired a video aiming to get people to recycle their clothes. The video featured a wide variety of ages, genders, ethnicities, body types and other diversity without overstating it, the message was “there are no rules in fashion.”
Idrissi was picked up by H&M after her casting director friend submitted a photo of her, she was surprised when she got the call.
“Are you sure they know I wear a hijab?” she asked.
In the American modeling industry a lot of emphasis is placed on skin and form, Idrissi said, which means Muslim women don’t get a lot of representation in the fashion world. Idrissi, like many Muslim women, chooses to cover her body and this makes her an anomaly in the fashion world. That seems to be changing though, global brands like DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, and Mango have launched Ramadan collection, according to NBC. It makes sense for brands to reach out to the 1.6 billion Muslim consumers out there.
The ad did stir some controversy among those that argue that modeling conflicts with the hijab’s purpose, as a tool for modesty. Idrissi argues that she is a Muslim first, and that her hijab isn’t used as an accessory but, rather as an extension of herself. She also pointed out that modeling is never stated as forbidden in the Quran.
“I’m not wearing it [the hijab] for fashion and ‘Oh I’m Muslim as well’,” Idrissi told NBC News. “First, I’m Muslim and then I also want to make my hijab a little bit more fashionable.”
The idea of being a fashionable Muslim woman isn’t new, sites like The Muslim Girl, offer hijabi tips, and women across the Arab world model with hijabs. The idea only seems to be novel in the West.
Other people have accused H&M of sending out a political message, though Idrissi’s appearance only lasts seconds.
H&M has stated that they are not taking “a religious or political stand.” The video was about inclusivity, the idea that fashion is about self-expression and empowerment. The idea of modesty to Idrissi doesn’t seem to mean not being confident or empowered, it’s something she believes both Muslim men and woman should embody, and something mainstream western media doesn’t represent.
“There are so many different women, like Jewish women, Christian women, pregnant women, women that are not happy with their bodies,” Idrissi told NBC News. “I want to try and incorporate this [modesty] into mainstream fashion now and not make it such a separation between being modest and being fashionable.”
Sorry, no related posts found.
