Extreme hijabis
Saturday, November 21st, 2009
When I was in college, I really wanted to get my eyebrow pierced. It was something I had always wanted to do, simply because I think it looks nice.
Although my parents have always been pretty laid back about piercings (I have several in my ears that I got at a pretty young age), I figured they wouldn’t be ecstatic about the eyebrow one.
So, being in college and away from home, I finally got the piercing without telling my parents.
At this point in my life, I had been wearing hijab for a few years. I wasn’t sure if hijab and a strange piercing went together, but I definitely don’t regret it. As a matter of fact, my scarf hid most of the ring anyway, so nobody noticed it unless they really observed my face. But, this brought up an issue when I was talking to a couple friends recently. I was asking if they would care if their children had piercings or dressed in a unique way or had an extreme style.
I don’t think I would mind. The way I see it, outer appearance is very arbitrary and not something to go crazy over. Plus, everyone goes through rebellious phases in their lives. It’s normal to try something new until you find out what you’re comfortable with.
I feel like wearing hijab also gives you a chance to try things like strange hair colors or haircuts that you’d normally be worried about. It gives us freedom to not have to worry about a cut that doesn’t work out.
But what do you guys think? Do you think piercings and purple hair (another thing I tried in college) have a place with hijab?
Pop Culture Hijabi is a weekly column by Nadia Malik. Malik is a former newspaper reporter based in Chicago who’s now making her way as a freelancer. She spends entirely too much time watching TV and reading pop culture, fashion and TV blogs. She also occasionally consumes serious books and news. No, really. You can reach her at info@hijabtrendz.com with “pop culture hijabi” in the subject line, follow her at www.twitter.com/nadiamalik or simply leave a comment below.
