Hijab Modelling Experience

At the age of 30, I tried hijab modelling. Although I do less of it now, I want to document my experience before I forget everything about it.

My inspiration

Charlotte McKee on Instagram. A girl crush.

When I first stumbled upon Charlotte McKee’s portraits on Instagram, I felt inspired to create similar images. At that time, I didn’t know which role suited me better – the photographer or the makeup artist. I never thought I could be the model.

So, I decided to learn how to do makeup. YouTube videos became my best friend, and I took a budget-friendly class from Groupon. I guess I’ve learnt a thing or two, but I still struggle to perfect my own look. My amateurish skills, however, did get me hired to do makeup for my siblings’ weddings (Fatimah, Khadijah, Maryam, and my sister-in-law, Aisyah) and two engagement events (my cousin’s engagement and my sister-in-law’s friend, Hannah).

Then I learned a bit of photography. I bought a basic online course on Groupon (again, and disclaimer, this blog post is not sponsored by Groupon). I managed to grasp some basics. At least, I know how to play around with aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. I also understand how to set white balance and focal range. I took a lot of my kids’ pictures and once tried to shoot a model at KLCC Park. The outcomes were amateurish as photography requires talent and consistency on top of technical skills. I didn’t give up, but I didn’t practice keenly enough. One day, my kids broke my 50mm 1.8 lens, and I handed my DSLR (a Canon T5i) over to my little brother.

I love trying new things, but I am also an easy quitter.

The Pro – I have many skills.

The Con – They are mostly at the beginner-intermediate level.

My Insecurity

I didn’t think I could be a model because I’m already old. I have darker tan skin, which does not necessarily mean unattractive, but I don’t feel represented or empowered in a country where hijab models are mostly fair-skinned. Dark-skinned girls often spend on whitening products (cream, pills, powder) as if it’s a sin to be born coloured.

From my early childhood, I was conscious about my physical appearance – a round-shaped nose, dark skin, uneven eyebrows, and a pear-shaped body – narrower top and broader bottom. However, many people said that I have model-like features. Later, I understood that it is my bone structure; my face is almost square and masculine. As the current trend favours edgy, masculine model faces on billboards, I started to believe that I could make it.

How I Started

I tried modelling during my unpaid leave last year. I searched for #hijabmodelwanted on Instagram and found an ad from a studio looking for hijab models. I sent my best Instagram picture to the photographer, who called me for a test shoot, and I got listed in his model catalogue as an in-house beginner model. I also actively searched for jobs and collaborations outside that studio.

I started mid-July 2018 until the end of October 2018 before I returned to work in November. In total, I did over 30 gigs in less than three months.

Things I Learnt from Modelling

New Things are Fun and Possible

Again, it’s the same message from me: you can do whatever you want as long as you put your mind into it.

Networking is Key

A quarter of my gigs were collaborations, meaning I didn’t get paid – but it was good for experience and my portfolio. It also helped me understand the value of connections. I got many more paid jobs through recommendations from people I collaborated with. I think that applies to any field.

The Reality of Ads Composition

Pretty pictures are the result of makeup and good lighting. It’s really a lot of work and can be deceiving.

Do I Still Want to Model?

Now that I work 9-5, I still take modelling jobs on weekends, but they are not my priority.

To be honest, I’m not sure how minimalism is directly related to modelling. In a way, it is contradictory since photos of models are shot for advertisements, which promote consumerism. As a minimalist model, please forgive me. I don’t even buy or wear most of the brands I model for.

But what I want to highlight is that I could never have done hijab modelling without minimalism. Minimalism cleared my life of meaningless things, so I had more resources to do what I wanted. The unpaid leave I managed to take despite having commitments (kids, mortgage, etc.) would not have been possible without having enough savings; enough savings can never be achieved if I am materialistic and spend all my money.

I’m grateful for the experience.