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You can’t talk about the hijab in the Western world without somebody butting in to yell about how it’s repressive or anti-feminist. But Pakistani-American artists Qinza Najm and Saks Afridi are putting a whole new spin on how people look at the veil – by inviting women to take selfies of themselves in full hijab or niqab and instagramming them under the hashtag #DamnILookGood.
The New York-based pair debuted the project in Brooklyn at the Dumbo Arts Festival in September and were adamant that the hijab is often misrepresented by cultures that don’t understand it – chiefly, that many people don’t grasp that wearing the veil can be an active expression of choice, personal style and beauty.
“A woman wearing full hijab and taking selfies of herself may to some people seem like a pointless exercise, but it isn’t,” Najm explains in a video about the project. “A selfie is more than just a picture. It’s a product of a moment when one is feeling beautiful and confident.”
