Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Lifestyle
London - Asharq Al-Awsat

Malala Yousafzai Opens Up to Vogue About Journey in College

Malala Yousafzai on the cover of British Vogue

Malala Yousafzai says going to university "finally" gave her some time for herself. The Nobel Prize winner, 23, gave a wide-ranging interview to British Vogue and features on the cover of the magazine's July issue.

Yousafzai graduated from Oxford University last year.

"I was excited about literally anything - going to McDonald's or playing poker with my friends. I was enjoying each and every moment because I had not seen that much before," she said.

Yousafzai, who was pictured for British Vogue wearing a red headscarf, explained the importance of the garment on the cultural level. She said the headscarf represents her roots as a member of the Pashtun ethnicity.

"As Muslim girls or Pashtun girls or Pakistani girls, when we follow our traditional dress, we're considered to be oppressed, or voiceless, or living under patriarchy. I want to tell everyone that you can have your own voice within your culture, and you can have equality in your culture," she added.

In 2014, Yousafzai became the youngest-ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, for her work campaigning for girls to have a universal right to education.

British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful said: "When it comes to people I admire, Malala Yousafzai is right at the top. At 23, the world's most famous university graduate has already lived so many lives: activist, author, tireless campaigner for girls' education, daughter, sister, student and survivor."

"Her friend Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, puts it so well: 'She has a North Star, which always impresses me.' Me too," Enninful added.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.