Hafsa Lodi - Modesty: A Fashion Paradox: Uncovering The Causes, Controversies And Key Players Behind The Global Trend To Conceal Rather Than Reveal

MODESTY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hafsa Lodi is an American journalist who has been covering fashion in the Middle East for the past decade. She was born in New York City, and at the age of 14 relocated to the United Arab Emirates with her family, where she attended Dubai American Academy while interning after school with one of the regions leading publishing houses, ITP.

After completing her undergraduate studies at the Ryerson School of Journalism in Toronto, Hafsa moved to London for a year, where she earned her masters degree in Islamic Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies. The relationships between religion, culture and modernity have always fascinated Hafsa, who covered topics like honour killings in Canadas South Asian communities, the use of DNA evidence in rape cases in Pakistan and the industrialization of the Holy city of Makkah, before turning to the fashion journalism beat. While living in Dubai, Hafsa has written for The National newspaper, Luxury magazine, Mojeh magazine, Velvet magazine, Savoir Flair and Vogue India, in addition to working as an online fashion editor for one of the Middle Easts largest luxury retailers, Boutique 1. She is a freelance stylist, and also has a part-time clothing line, creating whimsical maxi-cardigans and kaftans during Ramadan, and statement hand-embellished sweatshirts for the winter seasons.

Published by Neem Tree Press Limited 2020

Neem Tree Press Limited, 1st Floor,
2 Woodberry Grove, London, N12 0DR, UK

Copyright Hafsa Lodi and Neem Tree Press Limited, 2020
Cover photograph Hijab in Style Magazine / Photographer: mit Taylan /
Model: Mariah Idrissi / Makeup artist and hijab stylist: Fatma Capkanman

ISBN 978-1-911107-25-5 Hardback
ISBN 978-1-911107-26-2 Paperback
ISBN 978-1-911107-27-9 Ebook

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission
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For permission requests, write to the publisher at the address above.

Printed and bound in Great Britain
by Clays Ltd, Elcograf S.p.A.

This book is dedicated to Noora Sofia, who was the size of a peach in my tummy when I first started on this journey. May we raise you with the best intentions, love and guidance, and equip you with the support, spirituality and self-confidence necessary to become a happy and thriving woman.

CONTENTS

Weve gathered in the neighborhood of Motor City in Dubai with some of the regions top personalities in the modest fashion world for a full-day shoot. These young Muslim women work with high-end fashion brands, are dined (not wined, for obvious reasons) at top-tier eateries and are flown across the globe for paid-for travel opportunities. Their egos could be sky-high, and their demands could be of diva status but the group of six are surprisingly easygoing, even when things dont go as planned for our outdoor photoshoot. Though rain is a rare sight in the desert land of Dubai, the overcast sky opens up to an outpouring of fat drops and the women run for cover, lest their mascara run or clothes get wet. Still, their game faces are on and attitudes are positive as they continue to work their angles: smiling, pouting and staring down the camera with the expertise of high-fashion models.

Though they take selfies somewhat instinctually, these are not the frivolous, froufrou fashion bloggers that plague the pages of social media. For these women, faith is a major motivator, guiding their fashion and lifestyle choices, particularly when it comes to dressing without baring skin. Modesty is an ideal that these women strive to portray in their outer appearances, and its a virtue they work hard to embody too, endeavoring not to get too caught up in the frenzied and fast-paced world of fashion. But while modesty may hold certain unfashionable connotations, these young women are neither frumpy nor matronly. As they pose in their ankle-grazing, and for some of them head-covering, ensembles that theyve each styled themselves, lyrics from Drakes hit track Fake Love play from one of their iPhones, and they joke about blasting rap music on the Muslim holy day of Jummah, or Friday.

Each lives her own interpretation of a balanced lifestyle, one in which faith is a strong grounding point, but where a passion for fashion also thrives. Saira Arshad (@shazaira on Instagram), a teacher who grew up in Toronto, slips on her Christian Dior heels moments after telling the group about her recent trip to Gambia with nonprofit organization Penny Appeal USA. There, she volunteered on the ground and helped raise awareness for sustainable development, sanitation and safe drinking water. That took place right after her trip to Pakistan, where she was shot for a local shampoo campaign. As a gust of wind hits the group, Saira gives her skirt a quick tug, and starts chatting with Sameera Hussain (@missmulberry on Instagram), whos also a teacher by day, about haram ankles, a point of contention among their social media followers, who often point out that the show of skin below their midi skirts doesnt conform with strict religious interpretations of modesty.

These young women teachers, fashion designers, graphic designers, bloggers and mothers in their twenties and thirties lead lifestyles that allow for both style and spirituality, where they can indulge in contemporary cultural trends enjoyed by this millennial generation without compromising on their religious beliefs. Theres an effortless ease to the way in which topics of spirituality are woven into their casual banter. Nabilah Kariem (@nabilahkariem on Instagram), a South African fashion blogger who wears a hijab (a head covering worn by many Muslim women) and has flown into Dubai to attend Dubai Modest Fashion Week, tells Saira that she and her husband are thinking of moving to the UAE the following year. Whats Ramadan like in Dubai? she asks, referring to the holy month when Muslims fast daily. Saira says that the cultural norms during Ramadan in the Arabian city require women to dress up in fashionable formal wear and socialize all night. Its so extravagant Im dreading it, she says. The two may get decked out in stylish outfits and masterful makeup for their social media posts, but both recognize that Ramadan is a month of spirituality and inner reflection.

Just like the fashion blogging world may look glamorous to an outsider, Dubai too has a reputation for being centered around glitz and glam. Sameera, who prefers wearing little-to-no makeup during the day, explains that because she lives in Dubai, where women stereotypically cake their faces with beauty products, she feels a certain pressure to put on makeup during meetings with parents, and that when she does, even the children in her class notice and comment on her lipstick colors. Shes been watching Korean television shows lately, and has started testing out the latest Korean beauty products. Maha Gorton (@mahagorton on Instagram), a British-Egyptian, tells Sameera that she uses Seoul Kool, a Korean skincare brand co-founded by popular Kuwaiti-American fashion blogger Ascia Al Faraj. Maha, who has her own childrenswear brand, previously wore the hijab, and now wears her blonde hair open in loose waves a look she says she achieved at home herself, and not at a fancy parlor. I have three kids and a sick puppy, she says, explaining that her hectic weekend schedule leaves no time for indulging in blow-dries. Maha is a brand ambassador for luxury brand Cartier, a collaboration that over the past year has presented her and her husband with a trip to Jaipur and a spread in