I’m a Gen Z Muslim woman with immigrant parents and I don’t fit many stereotypes. Other stereotypes fit me alarmingly well: I think rice is one of God’s greatest creations, I talk too much, I care about my hair too much – which is even worse as nobody outside my household sees it.
I also care about climate change, animal exploitation, mental health, respect, feminism and more. I’m multidimensional, and I don’t see myself represented enough.
Representation has the power to implant views and stereotypes into mainstream consciousness, for better or for worse. We all need role models and there are lots of us who are being let down.
It’s up to all of us to fix that. Starting now. Here, five people reveal how they’re breaking boundaries in race, mental health, body image, religion and age representation ...
Malin Andersson
“Mental health representation will make us all stronger,” says Malin Andersson, a mental health advocate and TV personality.
I talk about grief, depression, body positivity, and domestic violence on my Instagram to open up those conversations. I get about a thousand messages a day from people saying I’ve helped them, so I know I’m raising awareness.
Speaking up, especially when you show your vulnerability, can make people feel less alone and encourage them to share their experiences too. The more we talk about mental health issues, the more we take away their shame and stigma. We create space to be ourselves without being scared of what others will think. I hope this will lead to better representation of mental health issues.
Dr Fatumina Said Abukar
“I experienced racism because of a lack of representation,” says Dr Fatumina Said Abukar, an award-winning UCL scientist, model and Stem diversity advocate.
I grew up in a small village where my family were the only people of colour, and I experienced a lot of racism.
People threw eggs at me and beat me up, and I faced racial slurs. I’m frustrated when I walk into diversity shoots and I’m the only person of colour. When you only have one token figure it’s impossible for them to represent their whole community. This can lead to them being attacked by their own community if they do or say something wrong. I want to see different types of beauty in the media.
Dr Fatumina Said Abukar
Stephanie Yeboah
“If I’d seen someone who looked like me, I would’ve had less self-hate issues,” says body positivity blogger Stephanie Yeboah.
“I grew up feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. I’ve always been into fashion, but I felt like I had to hide that because there were few plus-size-friendly shops. I hated myself and dieted constantly. After university, I went to New York and met a group of women who were all bigger than me – yet confident and effervescent. Inspired, I posted a full-length picture of myself on social media.
I was shocked at how positive people were. This generation is so lucky to have role models like Lizzo – I would’ve had less self-hate issues if I’d seen her when I was growing up. The body positive movement was created to celebrate women whose bodies aren’t seen by society as beautiful, so I’d like to see more variety of body shapes in the media.
Zaynab Shaikh
“Muslim women need better representation in fashion,” says hijabi model Zaynab Shaikh.
Muslim women aren’t represented enough. Take fashion: few fashion brands care about Muslim women who want to dress modestly. Shopping is difficult because everything is too tight, sheer or has cut-outs. Just: no.
I used to avoid castings because I didn’t think I’d get the job. If I’d seen people who looked like me in ad campaigns, I would’ve felt 100% more confident.
Now, young people ask me how they can start modelling, which is so nice because when I grew up I only saw Muslim women on Arabic channels.
Zahra Mohamed
“Young people deserve people who look like them,” says Zahra Mohamed, Ayat’s 15-year-old sister.
Representation affects young people and the adults we become. I have an issue with adult actors playing teens on screen as they create unrealistic expectations of how we should look, which has led to a rise in eating disorders, depression and anxiety.
I like TikTok because it’s full of normal people. Instagram is full of heavily filtered influencers who I can’t relate to. It’s not fair that teens have to obsess over their appearance. Let young people enjoy being teenagers so we can enjoy adulthood.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, the people featured recommend these Instagram accounts: @bodyposipanda; @i_weigh; @mattzhaig; @crazyheadcomics; @muslimgirl; @the_indian_feminist; @privtoprog; @Ayat_Zaman
