Can I just start of with a little anecdote; I recently finished reading The Hours [for my Health & Illness module at university], and I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that I liked so much and that made me want to jump out of the window at the same time. For that reason I give it a 7/10 because it’s beautifully written, and the distressing nature of the novel is intentional –  I just didn’t care about the characters. If you want to read about depression, though, and a truly accurate portrayal of it, read this novel. Put down your YA fiction about cigarettes and broken hearts, novels that you know will have a happy ending, and pick up this one that will put you into the roadblocked mind of three women. It has a way of making you feel their depression without actually using the word ‘depression’.
Moving on, I’m revisiting a topic that I’ve been over time and time again. ‘Hijabi’ beauty bloggers. YouTubers. Aspiring make up artists. These women is they are perceived as ‘strong’ because they’re Muslim women who are making something out of their lives – they’re successful considering they’re Muslim.
However, to claim that they are ‘successful Muslim women’ is just atrocious. They’re successful women, sure. But successful ‘Muslim’ women?
How do you define success as a Muslim woman when the reason for your success goes against Islam? Call yourself a successful woman. Not a successful Muslim woman. [By the way, there isn’t anything successful about doing makeup and showing off your clothes on the internet. Anybody can do it, everybody does do it. There, I SAID IT.]
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