Story of hijab-wearing best-dressed teen reaches global audience

Abrar Shahin, the fashionable hijab-wearing Muslim teenager who in June was voted best dressed by her senior class at Clifton High School, has become a global sensation as media outlets around the world have picked up her story and young people from as far away as Indonesia have praised her.

Even actor Ashton Kutcher talked about Shahin on his Facebook page last week. "Worry about how you feel, not what other people say," he wrote, with a link to her story, first reported in The Record.

Shahin's story circulated on the Internet and was shared thousands of times on Facebook and Twitter, taking hold, it seemed, because of the strong emotional response it provoked. Both MTV and Seventeen magazine devoted stories to her distinction.

A best-dressed award probably would have gone unnoticed outside of school were it given to any other teenager. But Shahin is a hijabi, a term that describes women or girls who wear an Islamic headscarf that covers the head and neck. For Muslims, Shahin's recognition was a sign that they could be accepted and even admired while staying true to their faith. And young people everywhere celebrated Shahin for showing that it's OK, and even hip, to be different.

Shahin said she was humbled and happy to have inspired others.

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"It's cool to see how it's gotten so far and reached people I don't even know," Shahin said in an interview. "I think it's because a lot of people are happy to see something different and to hear about breaking stereotypes."

Shahin earned the award, said classmates, because of her keen sense of style that blends trendy fashions and accessories with a modest look that follows Muslim tradition. The 800 or so students in the senior class were asked to write down the names of any classmates for annual senior awards, and she was chosen as best dressed.

As news of her award spread online, thousands weighed in on Shahin's style and role-model status. Showing a photo of her in a black and gold dress and hijab, MTV wrote: "She looks fierce."

In an article about Shahin, Seventeen magazine said, "Wearing what you feel best in is really what makes you look beautiful."

Michelle Tan, editor-in-chief of the popular teen magazine, said Shahin's story appealed to readers because she broke boundaries by being herself and inspired people to root for her.

"In a year where headlines have been filled with a lot of hate and disenchantment with events going on around the world, Abrar is an example of hope and acceptance," Tan said. "Plus she looks fabulous! Of course our readers would love her style and respond positively to how beautiful she feels in her hijab."

What matters, Shahin said, is the message that people can express themselves and stay true to who they are.

"The award itself wasn't a big deal," Shahin said. "But I'm getting random messages from girls as far as Indonesia saying, 'Thank you for showing that you can still be beautiful in the hijab. You really inspired us.' To know I inspired other little girls is awesome."

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