Student Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
Spring 5-26-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Honors Designation
na
Program of Study
Communication - Corporate Communication
Language
English
First Advisor
Rianne Subijanto
Second Advisor
Allison Hahn
Abstract
The depiction of Muslim women in Western media has been a long-running joke, as they are framed to be oppressed by the burdens of their religion and the hijab. However, Muslim women have used the power of social media to counter that narrative through their large followings as fashion influencers, digital creators, food bloggers, makeup artists, lifestyle bloggers, musicians, and so much more. Specifically, Muslim fashion influencers are changing and redefining the notion of modesty throughout their posted content on social media. Many people in Muslim communities see this redefinition of modesty as a conflict with the "proper" ways of how Muslim women should dress and present themselves to the world. Many believe because of social media Muslim women stray from their religious identity and conform to the Western ideals of modesty. This study analyzes the ways Hijabi fashion bloggers have been portraying themselves on Instagram through posted content. For example, the study will examine images, videos, and the type of brand deals they chose to take on over the past 4 years, and how that has changed over time. The goal of my research is to identify if Muslim female fashion influencers are conforming to the Western notion of modesty or if they are using the power of social media to portray a new realistic definition of modesty. I conduct qualitative research to study the thematic analysis of Six Muslim female Instagram influencers (Asyha Huran, Leena Asad, Shahd Batal, Omaya Zein, and Summar Albarcha,). I investigate their work from 2018 to 2021 by selecting two images, two videos, and two brand deals from each year to examine the changes in their modest apparel.
Recommended Citation
Sanno, Awa, "Muslim Fashion Influencers Shaping Modesty in the Twenty-First Century on Social Media" (2022). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/bb_etds/141
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Broadcast and Video Studies Commons, Business and Corporate Communications Commons, Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, E-Commerce Commons, Fashion Business Commons, Graphic Communications Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Marketing Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons, Publishing Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, Social Media Commons
