This is going even better than I thought it would!
Random thoughts on wearing hijab, or anything else for that matter, are a lot of fun to share. Wearing the hijab, however was not a random decision. For more information about the whys and wherefores of me wearing this, just take a look in the intermission section. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
- “People tend to be a little more gracious to me or ignore me completely. The ones who are more polite seem a little afraid, as if I’m going to blow the space up any second. The ones who pointedly ignore me steal little glances at me and markedly pretend not to be keeping an eye on every move I make.”
- “People seem surprised when they hear me speak, as though they are expecting an accent of any kind.”
- “This couldn’t be possible, but somehow I think I’m becoming more outspoken or wilder. This would mean I might as well superglue my foot in my mouth.”
- “Some people go out of their way to be more kind because they too can feel the hatred of the other people. Those people rule.”
- “My dogs ONLY want to go out once I’ve sat down taken a deep breath and pulled off my hijab. “
- “Scarves. I definitely need more scarves.”
- If one more old man with a POW?MIA hat on looks at me like I’m a subhuman, I’m going to talk back to him. Oh wait, don’t those guys usually carry guns too?”
- “Some people are cloyingly, condescendingly nice. “
- “I wonder what they will say about this in church?”
- “Does anyone ever ask, ‘Do I look fat in this hijab?'”
Keep following, more on the hijab experience is coming, random or otherwise. ?We have a whole month to see what happens. Hopefully these random thoughts bring a little laughter into your day.
If you love what you’re reading, please don’t forget:
Like Me On Facecook at facebook.com/blackgirllostkeys
Follow Me On Twitter @RoseyTrellis.
Another great post! I’ve had similar experiences as well:
1. That’s how I often feel when I visit areas that don’t have a Muslim population of any significant size.
2. I’ve actually had people say, “Oh, I was so surprised when you started talking and didn’t have an accent!”
3. Yes. You can sometimes feel a bit insulated under your layers, as well as feeling empowered. Contrary to the belief many non-Muslims and our portrayal in western media, most hijabi women I know are quite outspoken and most are feminists. Rabia Chaudry is a well-known example, but I hope that seeing some of the other women speaking at or hosting events with her are noticed as well.
4. On the 10th anniversary of 911, I had to go renew my driver’s license, and was there with my small children. There was a long wait that day, so various people had baby talked to my infant. A couple hours later, a guy came in who was wearing clothes that indicated he might not be overly friendly to Muslims. Even though he didn’t do anything threatening or engage me in any way, several people around me *physically moved in closer to me* and started acting very protective, including two elderly couples.
5. Yes. It’s like your family wanting to go somewhere after you changed into comfy clothes.
6. You can never have too many scarves. Summer weight, winter weight, rectangles, squares, formal, casual, solid, print, decorative, plain…
7. A guy like that at the hospital one day kept questioning me in a mildly challenging, and seemed surprised when I told him my father served in the Viet Nam war and my brother in Afghanistan, that I’m from a long line of military men. My husband served in two wars.
8. God bless ’em.
9. I’ve never tried, but I have a feeling it could depend on the church.
10. Lots of times, but I’ve settled on a couple of styles that seem a bit more flattering for my round, chubby face.
I love the way you broke down each topic, I’m really glad you can relate.