My Head Scarf, My Identity

By Naima Rauf, Staff Writer

As we step foot on the streets of America today, we’re surrounded by countless cultures, backgrounds, genders, and identities. My head scarf is my identity.

I looked in the mirror one cold morning in sixth grade when I made the decision that my identity deserves superiority over my fears of judgment from society and cannot be compromised because my inner self-esteem.

It’s like buying the wrong shoe size; if you start wearing a size that is too big for you, you can make temporary accommodations to make it work, but you eventually have no choice but to outgrow it, just as I learned to outgrow societies expectations in myself.

I am now a sophomore in my undergraduate career, and this experience has blossom into a lifetime worth of confidence and experience for myself.

Your values and morals should be independent clause, and as I got older, I realized that I should be the only one determining them. Being the only girl I knew of walking into my middle and high school years and walking the stage during graduation with something that purely represented my identity and who I wish to be, I could not feel more normal.

Your identity is a part of you and shouldn’t be something that makes you feel any utter embarrassment or remorse.

Despite being a sophomore at a private Catholic university, outlining in Islamically-modest daily, grants me the strength and the will to put myself out there, not to fear and battle with my inner thoughts and worry about following the norms of society and compromising were really wanting to be.

At times, there can be thoughts of insecurity when being the only woman walking in a crowd wearing something so unknown to some. However, the only better way to spread positivity about who you are and what your identity is to show it, and that’s what I do. Allow yourself to be an example for the people out there struggling to maintain their identity and face because of society ‘s views. Being a role model doesn’t mean you must verbalize it.

Sometimes it’s as easy as silently carrying them along with you.