Ever Seen Barbie Wear a Hijab? Meet “Hijarbie”
In 2016, Haneefa Adam rose to prominence with her incredibly creative food art – which she used as an entry for the Samsung Tech Meets Art competition.
In a chat with CNN’s African Voices, Haneefa talks about her life in Ilorin, and the inspiration behind “Hijarbie,” her newest artistic project. When asked what inspired her project. She said:
“I was inspired to create the Hijarbie account after coming across the Barbie Style Instagram page. I thought I had not seen Barbie dressed in a hijab before so I decided to open an Instagram account and dressed Barbie up in the clothes that I made. I thought it was really important for a doll to be dressed like how I would be.”
Haneefah’s art incorporates her cultural, style and religious inclinations, and this is evident in her quest to shed positive light on Islam. The 24-year-old, who recently completed a Master’s in Pharmacology in the UK, describes Hijarbie as a “modest doll” — one that offers Muslim girls a relatable role model.
She said:
“It has roots in my religion and cultural identity. The way Barbie dresses is very skimpy and different and there’s nothing wrong with it. I just wanted to give another option for Muslim girls like me. I want to use the Instagram page to create an identity for her similar to Barbie.”
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“I couldn’t find the different types in Nigeria (no Amazon or eBay or anything), I’d have loved to dress up a black doll myself too. I’ve ordered for some internationally and they’ll soon be here,” she said.
“People think that when Muslim women cover up they are forced to. The ‘majority‘ of us are not. We want to cover up and express our religion. But a lot of Muslims don’t cover their hair and it doesn’t make them any less of a Muslim. I think this is a great platform to try and get the Muslim identity to the world and correct some misconceptions.”
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Photo Credit: Instagram
Nice one.
good fr her