Wednesday, January 21, 2009

You might be missing the point...

Just a ha ha kinda thing from me... Don't be offended, I know we girls want to look our best... Just have a laugh.


Top 10 clues that you might be a little too concerned about looking good in your hijab (therefore kinda missing the whole point of hijab)...

10. You once put hairspray on your hijab by mistake.

9. You have enlisted the services of a Veil Designer/ Hijab stylist.

8. You have "bad hijab" days.

7. You have missed people knocking at your door because putting on your hijab took so much time that they thought you weren't home.

6. You have excused yourself on outings to check on your hijab (and not because it was slipping off).

5. You have complicated diagrams hanging next to your mirror that instruct you on styling your hijab in various ways.

4. You are often asked, "How do you do that with your scarf?".

3. You have more ways to style your hijab than you have fingers to count them on.

2. You leave your hijab on when at home because taking it on and off requires too much effort.

And finally...

1. You have a secret fear that you are now actually prettier with your hijab ON.

14 comments:

Mona Zenhom said...

Ha, so true. Do you know? I was shocked when I learned that some salons here do hijab styles! For like an engagement or wedding or something! It's ridiculous...plus the caked on make up...sheesh.

Anonymous said...

top right corner is THE style right now. So many tiny little 16 year olds walking around with hijabs bigger than they are.

I call it the lion's mane hijab.

I think that we can be pretty with our hijabs, but not go overboard like you said. Everything in moderation.

Anonymous said...

this prove that hijab is for making women suffer, i don't understand why you guys can't see this.

Anonymous said...

Like this one. I actually had seen a documentary called Covered Girls done sometime after 2001. It was funny when one of the young girls said he hates having a "bad Hijab" day.

There is this one Muslim women at my sons school who really can carry the hijab so beautifully. She has like 4 kids (small) and looks so amazing, exotic, and beautiful. She must think I'm nuts cause I'm always checking out her new styles each day.

I'm ashamed to say but I look like a thrumpy head covering mommy so I don't get out of my car like she does LOL!

Christine

UmmLayla said...

An Egyptian, I can understand the misconception... But until you have walked a mile in heels after starving yourself for a week to fit into the latest designer dress... You can't know how liberating hijab is!!!
All societies have their own form of oppressing women, IMHO. And both the expectations of beauty in some places and the forced veiling in others are equally oppressive and wrong to me. However, if it's voluntary and one can gain the spiritual benefits of covering, it is really a good thing. I think I worry less about my appearance and more about other things now. Not to mention that I do feel I get treated with more respect for the most part. Don't get me wrong, there are still jerks out there who will hit on a hijabi.

I don't think that anything about covering is really harmful, and even if it had no real benefits I would do it for religious reasons. So I think arguing the benefits may be a waste in the end really. But I do have to step up when I hear someone calling it harmful... Because it just ain't so.

Just my 2 piasters as usual.

Anonymous said...

would you mention me plz both the spiritual and ordinary benefits of hijab.

UmmLayla said...

Sure An Egyptian, I'll do the best I can.
Spiritual first:
You are reminded of obeying Allah (swt) all the time because you are observing the deen by wearing hijab so often.
You keep your behavior in line when in public because you know you are representing Muslims since you obviously are one.
You feel like you are carrying out an act of worship every time you put the hijab on.

Now of course I get to another part of the whole thing, why I hate mandating the hijab. When governments mandate the hijab they take away a lot of what I just spoke of. That isn't fair to anyone, and it (in my mind) takes the practice of covering from spiritual to cultural. It leaves women in a position where they have to really struggle with the idea that there can be a liberating/spiritual side to hijab.

Practical now:
When you take the pressure of looking good away from a woman you free her mind to work on other things.
When you take looks (and here I really am talking about tits and ass frankly) away from the dealings women have with men you force them to develop relationships based on more meaningful things.
By covering women are able to send a clear social signal to deter unwanted attention from men. How does a girl in a mini-skirt give a signal that she isn't interested in having a guy hit on her? Trust me, it's hard.

I'm not giving it my full speech here because I'm updating from my blackberry, maybe it deserves a post of its own. But like I said, my reason for wearing hijab in the end is simple. I believe that Allah wants me to . Everything else is gravy;)

Anonymous said...

Spiritual:
1- why you have to wear a hijab(veil) to obey Allah if Hijab is not a mandatory??

2- do Muslims who don't wear the hijab never represent Muslims?

3- is hijab an act of worship?

4- when Muslims tell that hijab is not a mandatory while other Muslims tell it's not, whom we should believe in case we wanna study Islam?

Practical:
1- does the pressure of looking bad for a woman free her mind? does it make guys comfort and feel normal toward her?
a Muslim friend told me hijab supposed to be forbidden cuz it make guys miss the female look of a women which lead men to sexual harass "muhajab"(women wearing hijab) women.

2- When you take looks (and here I really am talking about hair not tits and asses) away from the dealings women have with men you force them to develop relationships based on deprivation and pervert desires due to the block of the female appearance
By covering women are able to send a clear social signal to pervert abnormal acts toward the women.
and btw i feel horny a lot on a lot of muhajab girls which mean even following your theory it won't gonna work.
girls in mini skirts can tell using her mouth Allah gave her to tell harassers or perverts that she is not interested, she does not need to hide her natural hair to tell the message.

i think really it deserve an entire post.

UmmLayla said...

Well, An Egyptian, it seems like your views about hijab are pretty different than mine. You aren't really asking anything, you are looking to promote your interpretation. If we can't even agree that hijab is prescribed by Islam... There is really no starting point for talking about it. I guess at this point I'm saying to we should agree to disagree.

UmmLayla said...

Hey Christine, what happened to your profile? I used to be able to click on your comments to get to your blog now I can't... Can you post the address for me???

Anonymous said...

Really? You can't get into my blog from the comments. That's odd. Hope this helps!

http://ultraconservativechristianwoman.blogspot.com/

If you don't mind me added a comment to An Egyptian. Covering, dressing modestly is a personal choice that one must come to a full acceptance of to follow through. You may find it a turn on and such but to the person who is actually wearing it feels differently and realty is that this is all that matters in the end.

It really does bring you spiritually closer and keeps you accountable for your actions. If you opt to show the world what you've got well then you are getting what you deserve back in life.

To be true to your religion you have to be in line 100% with what is asked of you.

BTW, I am giving this from a Christian perspective because I am a modest dressing, headcovering hippie.

Christine

Jules UmmEmJoey said...

I love my hijab. And I keep it simple. It is part of my Islam. And it is my choice. I agree with your reason Umm Layla. It reminds me that Allah SWT is watching me, and I in turn should watch my actions.

Anonymous said...

LOL, that was hilarious! :)

Anonymous said...

The top right is a bit OTT. The other ones are absolutely beautiful! Although the point about some people being more attractive in them than without is a true one. Btw I know it's not required to keep your scarf on at home but are you allowed to if you want?
Once I heard that Haredi (ultra orthodox) Hebrew women keep their outdoor clothes same as indoors and onyl take it off during the ultimate bonding with the husbands. I mean what IS the point of wearing a scarf in front of your mother or female best friend or dad even? Wjay do you think might be the reason for this? And it's not complex tying trust me I've seen it and it's very simple.