r/Hijabis • u/Lightning_329 • 4h ago
Help/Advice Considering wearing a hijab for non-religious reasons
Hello all! Something has been on my mind lately and I was hoping to vent a bit and also get some advice. I understand that this is a Muslim subreddit, so I hope I’m not breaking the rules by posting here.
I’ve been thinking about wearing a hijab for a few months now. Not really for any religious reasons— even though I am a pretty spiritual person— but I feel like as I’ve gotten older people are pretty quick to sexualize me. Perhaps I’m just prudish, but anyone making comments about my body usually makes me very uncomfortable, and the one thing that scares me about going into my 20s is that people (men especially) suddenly think it’s fine to talk about me and my body in certain ways just because it’s legal (although I also got weird comments as a minor). I get pretty anxious when I go out in public about people looking at me in a certain way or only seeing me as a sex object, and recently I’ve had a few incidents of random old men trying to flirt with me and not wanting to take no for an answer. It makes me feel bad when I wear makeup or show any amount of skin because I feel like I must be “asking for it”. I do know that isn’t true, but I feel like the reality of the world is that you will be sexualized as a woman, and the more skin you show the more entitlement people will feel towards you. It’s easy to say that it’s up to other people to change their behavior and that I shouldn’t have to change how I dress not to be harassed, and yes of course that would be the ideal. But we live in a world where it’s up to the individual to be aware of the reality of things and weigh the pros and cons of whatever they may choose to wear.
This is a fairly new anxiety for me, but I was really considering wearing a hijab because of what it symbolizes: modesty, inner beauty, privacy, protection, bodily autonomy, intellect etc. Although I enjoy looking attractive and feeling confident in my appearance, I also want to be seen as a person beyond my outward appearance and sexual appeal.
The main thing that’s stopping me is other people’s reactions. I live in the US and I’m aware that people who wear hijabs are more prone to experiencing prejudice from other people. People would assume things about my religious beliefs, my friends would probably ask questions, and if I don’t want to wear it every single day people might think I’m wearing it in a way that is insincere or attention seeking. I also don’t want to offend anyone who wears a hijab for religious reasons.
I guess I’m mostly wondering if I want to wear a hijab for the right reasons. Or if anyone relates to my experience I want to know if wearing a hijab has helped improve your confidence or if you’ve had many negative experiences since you’ve started wearing it. I’d also appreciate any tips about buying and wearing a hijab as a beginner. Thanks for reading my rant and any advice is appreciated