NEW YORK • A hijab-wearing model in a video advertisement for clothing retailer H&M has become a talking point on the Internet.
The story of Mariah Idrissi, a 23-year-old model, has prompted a discussion about women who are reclaiming the head scarf as a form of stylish self-expression.
Idrissi said in an interview with the website Fusion: "It always feels like women who wear hijab are ignored when it comes to fashion. Our style, in a way, hasn't really mattered, so it's amazing that a brand that is big has recognised the way we wear hijab."
Idrissi, who is based in London and said she was discovered by a modelling scout on Instagram, reflects a larger trend of young Muslim women who are gathering on social media to trade fashion tips, all with hijabs as the sartorial focal point.
After she was featured in the H&M campaign, other hijabi women said it offered a fashion-forward look at womanhood in their culture. "In a simple and quiet way, she made others look at a Muslim woman without fear or contempt but with a healthy curiosity," a lifestyle blogger at Muslim Girl wrote of Idrissi.
NEW YORK TIMES