Hijab-Wearing Barbie Turns Into An Instagram Star; Nigerian Student Behind The Idea Lauded By Netizens
A Hijab-wearing Barbie is the new star of Instagram after a Nigerian medical student came up with the idea of posting photos of her doll wearing hijabs or head coverings worn by Muslim women.
24-year-old Haneefah Adam said she wanted to build positive awareness and encourage Muslim children through this uniquely creative idea, RT reported Friday.
Adam named the new social media persona Hijarbie.
"It's about having a doll that looks like her, that represents her own cultural and religious background," Adam said.
The Nigerian student is the person behind the Hijarbie account on Instagram. The Huffington Post noted Friday that the account was created two months ago has now amassed over 24,000 followers.
Adam is hopeful that her idea would somehow boost the confidence of Muslim people, particularly the women and children.
"I want them to be inspired - this is about having an alternative and creating an awareness of having toys that adopts your religion and culture and in your own likeness, which at the end of the day, leads to an improvement in self-esteem," she said in an interview with Mic.
Adam went on, "It's important to create a sense of value in the Muslim child, especially the girl child. They become more confident, more driven, they believe more in themselves, which leads to an appreciation of herself and her modest lifestyle and upbringing. Instead of dressing up her dolls in clothes she wouldn't wear, hijabifying it will create a sense of belonging and hopefully make a positive impact."
Reports revealed that Adam gets inspiration from Muslim fashion bloggers for her own designs, which she also sew herself.
Adam said on her Twitter account, "The dolls are not 'diversified' because I couldn't get various Barbie type dolls in Nigeria."
Many of the followers have expressed support for Adam's idea, saying that the initiative cultivates and embraces diversity.
A follower commented, "I'm not Muslim but I think this is [an amazing way to show] diversity."
Another one posted, "I am not Muslim, but I admire your idea. It is a great way to diversify [female] ideals and to be proud of each [root] and background. Congratulations!!"
Haneefah Adam said in a recent post that she and her team is currently building a website and working towards making the Hijarbie line available for purchase.
