Abrar Shahin, the fashionable hijab-wearing Muslim teenager who in June was voted best dressed by her senior class at Clifton High School, has become a global sensation as media outlets around the world have picked up her story and young people from as far away as Indonesia have praised her.
Even actor Ashton Kutcher talked about Shahin on his Facebook page last week. “Worry about how you feel, not what other people say,” he wrote, with a link to her story, first reported in The Record.
Shahin’s story circulated on the Internet and was shared thousands of times on Facebook and Twitter, taking hold, it seemed, because of the strong emotional response it provoked. Both MTV and Seventeen magazine devoted stories to her distinction.
A best-dressed award probably would have gone unnoticed outside of school were it given to any other teenager. But Shahin is a hijabi, a term that describes women or girls who wear an Islamic headscarf that covers the head and neck. For Muslims, Shahin’s recognition was a sign that they could be accepted and even admired while staying true to their faith. And young people everywhere celebrated Shahin for showing that it’s OK, and even hip, to be different.
Shahin said she was humbled and happy to have inspired others.
“It’s cool to see how it’s gotten so far and reached people I don’t even know,” Shahin said in an interview. “I think it’s because a lot of people are happy to see something different and to hear about breaking stereotypes.”
Shahin earned the award, said classmates, because of her keen sense of style that blends trendy fashions and accessories with a modest look that follows Muslim tradition. The 800 or so students in the senior class were asked to write down the names of any classmates for annual senior awards, and she was chosen as best dressed.
As news of her award spread online, thousands weighed in on Shahin’s style and role-model status. Showing a photo of her in a black and gold dress and hijab, MTV wrote: “She looks fierce.”
In an article about Shahin, Seventeen magazine said, “Wearing what you feel best in is really what makes you look beautiful.”
Michelle Tan, editor-in-chief of the popular teen magazine, said Shahin’s story appealed to readers because she broke boundaries by being herself and inspired people to root for her.
“In a year where headlines have been filled with a lot of hate and disenchantment with events going on around the world, Abrar is an example of hope and acceptance,” Tan said. “Plus she looks fabulous! Of course our readers would love her style and respond positively to how beautiful she feels in her hijab.”
Muslims who have often felt stereotyped and discriminated against saw Shahin’s story as a sign of acceptance and were proud that someone of their faith was being hailed as a trendsetter.
Engy Abdelkader, a human rights lawyer based in New Jersey, said the story spoke to Muslims because they’re “starved for good news and positive representations of Muslims” at a time when media portrayals are mainly negative.
International readers also responded by applauding America for its tolerance and acceptance. The praise comes as Islamic wear is being debated or restricted in some Western European nations. U.S. courts have backed religious freedom for Muslim women who want to wear a hijab at work or school, Abdelkader said.
“Here, an American Muslim teen receives accolades for wearing her conspicuous religious dress with style — that’s pretty radical in societies where long skirts and baggy pants are considered provocative,” said Abdelkader, who is co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Religious Freedom.
In her own community, Shahin has lots of support. Friends and relatives have called her family to say how proud they are. The imam at her mosque talked about Shahin in a lecture as an example of how Muslims can be both fashionable and faithful. Readers of The Record sought out Shahin at Francesca’s boutique in Paramus, where she works, to ask for fashion advice.
With a surge in Instagram followers, Shahin said she is planning to start a line of hijabs that she will design. She’ll work on it as she attends Rutgers in the fall to study physical therapy.
But the response to Shahin’s story wasn’t all positive; some of it was critical and even hateful. In online comments, there were jabs about Muslims as terrorists, and others within Shahin’s own faith remarked that the teenager did not dress modestly enough. And there were comments that the hijab is oppressive to women.
Shahin said she chose to start wearing the hijab at age 13 to follow the example of the women around her, including her sister and mother.
Wearing the hijab, she said, gave her confidence.
“Every time I go out, I try to be the best Muslim possible,” she said. “If someone meets me and sees I’m a nice person, maybe they’ll view Muslims differently.”
Shahin said she was fortunate to live in a place as diverse as Clifton. She said she had never been harassed or bothered because of her hijab, aside from an occasional “dirty look.” In her school, she said, she has friends from many different backgrounds.
Across the country, reports show young people are more diverse and surveys suggest they’re more accepting and concerned with equality than previous generations. At the same time, online anonymity has created a new, powerful vehicle for prejudice and bigotry.
Most online comments were positive, but Shahin said she felt stung by the hateful remarks. She believes, she said, that those kinds of attitudes are fading.
“I think everyone is becoming more accepting,” she said. “As Muslims, we are starting to go out there more and show people who we really are. People are getting to know us and accept us as more than who we are portrayed as on television.”
What matters, she said, is the message that people can express themselves and stay true to who they are.
“The award itself wasn’t a big deal,” Shahin said. “But I’m getting random messages from girls as far as Indonesia saying, ‘Thank you for showing that you can still be beautiful in the hijab. You really inspired us.’ To know I inspired other little girls is awesome.”