So, it's been a year since I wore the hijab and deleted my old content.

@birdtart01

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Why it worked

The video succeeds by leveraging a vulnerable, personal narrative that addresses a specific cultural experience, creating a strong emotional connection with the audience.

Summary

The creator reflects on her first year wearing a hijab, discussing the challenges of being perceived primarily through that identity on social media. She emphasizes that her content is about her personal growth and identity beyond just being a hijabi.

Structure

1Introduction to the one-year anniversary of wearing a hijab
2Discussion of the pressure to perform and the loss of personal identity
3Reflection on the fear of judgment and societal expectations
4Realization that her life has expanded since embracing her faith
5Conclusion on her goal to be an authentic creator for her audience

On-screen text

it’s been a year since I wore the hijab and deleted my old content and I wish I could say it’s gotten easier Welcome to adult diaries episode three I’ve told the internet several times I’m not a religious scholar nor a role model Yet, it feels like hijab is the only personality trait I’m allowed to express online I didn’t struggle because I miss feeling pretty it’s because I miss being seen fully Since wearing it I felt like I was performing for a role I didn’t sign up for Honestly, I really miss walking into a room without facing automatic assumptions about my religious sincerity based on how many strands of hair slipped through I miss posting career advice without being bombarded by DMs about why my existence is a sin I miss when I would do my hair without my family expecting anything more from me And the truth is hijab was supposed to be a way to combat societal performance but somehow all I’ve been doing since I wore it is performing Suddenly, I’m not just Rana I’m that one hijabi influencer I grew up my whole life microdosing on shame being told that I would finally be enough if I was more modest more soft spoken more self conscious And the hardest part about hijab is it threw me into an echo chamber of how I grew up despite the fact that I made that decision for myself Somewhere along the line I stopped wearing hijab for myself for my spirituality and started wearing it out of fear of other people the same fear I was hoping to escape when I first wore it But when I really sat down and thought about it without factoring in everyone else I noticed something My life has expanded in ways it never has before I was a hijabi Since taking that step towards my faith the world started opening up to me in ways that used to feel impossible And I miss who I used to be sometimes but who I’m becoming is equally exciting and worth looking forward to So no I don’t have hijab fully figured out but I know that my content isn’t and never will be about being a hijabi It’s about being myself It’s for the girls who need a big sister who are figuring themselves out and building a life they’re proud of in the process It’s the girls who are trying to side quest their way into the best version of themselves So if that sounds like you I’ll see you for episode four

Original caption

it’s officially been a year since I decided to become a hijabi, and I still can’t seem to escape the strange dimension of social media it’s put me in. I always get comments and DMs (good and bad) about hijab. and while I’m honored to have represented Muslim women across the different work I do, hijab is just one of many identities that reflects me. It is not the only one, and I hope my content is reflective of that. I am not a hijabi content creator, I am simply a creator who happens to be a hijabi. if youve stuck through this journey with me, thank you for being here. i hope to continue sharing my reflections with you as I grow so that we can all find the best version of ourselves 🤍

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Transcript

So, it's been a year since I wore the hijab and deleted my old content and I wish I could say it's gotten easier. Welcome to Adult Diaries episode three. I've told the internet several times that I'm not a religious scholar nor a role model. Yet, it feels like hijab is the only personality trait I'm allowed to express online. I didn't struggle because I miss feeling pretty, it's because I miss being seen fully. Since wearing it, I felt like I was performing for a role I didn't sign up for. Honestly, I really miss walking into a room without facing automatic assumptions about my religious sincerity based on how many strands of hair slipped through. I miss posting career advice without being bombarded by DMs about why my existence is a sin. I miss when I would do my hair without my family expecting anything more from me. And the truth is, hijab was supposed to be a way to combat societal performance, but somehow, all I've been doing since I wore it is performing. Suddenly, I'm not just Rana, I'm that one hijabi influencer. I grew up my whole life microdosing on shame, being told that I would finally be enough if I was more modest, more soft-spoken, more self-conscious. And the hardest part about hijab is it threw me into an echo chamber of how I grew up, despite the fact that I made that decision for myself. Somewhere along the line, I stopped wearing hijab for myself, for my spirituality, and started wearing it out of fear of other people, the same fear I was hoping to escape when I first wore it. But when I really sat down and thought about it without factoring in everyone else, I noticed something. My life has expanded in ways it never has before I was a hijabi. Since taking that step towards my faith, the world started opening up to me in ways that used to feel impossible. And I miss who I used to be sometimes, but who I'm becoming is equally exciting and worth looking forward to. So no, I don't have hijab fully figured out, but I know that my content isn't and never will be about being a hijabi. It's about being myself. It's for the girls who need a big sister who are figuring themselves out and building a life they're proud of in the process. It's the girls who are trying to side-quest their way into the best version of themselves. So if that sounds like you, I'll see you for episode four.