The page gained over 1,000 followers within 24 hours.
It’s no secret that the beauty and fashion industries tend to favour a very specific (and limited) look. Even social media, which has the opportunity to be more inclusive and democratic, follows the same pattern.
Enter Hodhen Liaden. The 23-year-old Londoner has created an Instagram page called @darkskinhijabis, and as the name suggests, it’s all about singing the praises of Muslim women with darker skin.
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The bio for Liaden’s page reads “a minority within a minority,” and as she tells Buzzfeed, it’s about addressing colourism in the beauty community. (Colourism refers to discrimation against people with darker skin tones.)
“Unfortunately, colourism stems deep in the Muslim community and throughout history, darker-skinned people have been treated unfairly, which is of course fundamentally wrong,” Liaden told Buzzfeed.
“I couldn’t help but notice the lack of representation of Muslim women in the beauty community and even more so the unrepresented side of the melanin spectrum.”
Having experienced that same discrimination first hand, the artist and graphic designer decided to do something.
Liaden’s page clearly struck a chord – within 24 hours it had over 1,000 followers, and it’s now approaching 9,000. She puts this down to an unmet need. Women want to see themselves represented and celebrated.
Nearly 800 people have submitted their pictures through Liaden’s #darkskinnedhijabis tag, and we’re sure there’s more to come.
“For the longest time, I felt that I was the only one, fighting my battles alone waiting to be heard,” Liaden told Buzzfeed.
We’re thinking she knows now that she’s not alone.
Images: Instagram
