Bye Bye Barbie, Hello Hijarbie
In the past few weeks, Barbie has evolved a lot. [Photo: Hijarbie/Instagram]
With her big blue eyes and flowing blonde locks, Barbie’s long been the symbol of what an attractive woman is supposed to look like.
Thankfully we’re increasingly being offered alternative ideas of perfection - which may or may not also include a hijab.
Instagrammer Haneefah Adam, 24, is on a mission to inspire young muslim girls via her Hijarbie account, which sees modestly-dressed Barbie-style dolls donning the hijab.
Bright young thing: Haneefah Adam hopes to inspire young muslim girls with her idea. [Photo: Hijarbie/Instagram]
Getting bigger: Hijarbie already has more than 8000 followers on Instagram. [Photo: Hijarbie/Instagram]
Nigerian Haneefah runs her own lifestyle brand, Hanie, and says she was inspired to start Hijarbie after seeing the Barbie Style Instagram page, which sees Barb, Ken and co kitted out in a range of unexpected ensembles.
She told Mic: “It got me thinking about how I’d actually like to see a doll dressed up like I would have - covered up.
"I was mulling about the idea for about three months while I was still studying for my master’s degree in the UK.
“When I got back to Nigeria, I went to the mall, purchased a doll, dressed it up, documented it and here we are.”
A good look: Haneefah makes all of the outfits herself. [Photo: Hijarbie/Instagram]
Haneefah says she’d love to offer a wider racial mix to her pictures, but that this isn’t currently possible.
“The simple truth is, I couldn’t find the different types in Nigeria. I’d have loved to dress up a black doll myself too. I’ve ordered some internationally and they’ll be here soon.”
So modest: There are no blonde locks or tanned limbs to be seen here. [Photo: Hijarbie/Instagram]
Not all white: Haneefah intends to model her outfits on dolls of different skin colours. [Photo: Hijarbie/Instagram]
Ultimately she hopes to create the whole Hijarbie product herself, saying: “We are in the process of building a website and working towards production and making hijarbie available to purchase soon.”
Ultimately, Haneefah tells Mic that, she’s doing this for young, muslim girls.
“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.”
Fancy a Hijarbie all of your very own? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK.
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