Historically, the fashion and beauty industries have had a reputation for under-representing the people and culture they profit from. Still, it doesn't negate that many people turn to style for expression and other reasons—Black Muslim women included. Often, people love to speak for women of color rather than allowing them to speak for themselves. To further explore the nuances between fashion and culture, we spoke to Black Muslim women about what style means to them, the prejudice and standards they face, and how they're soaring beyond expectations to take up space.

Black Muslim women are at the intersection of three beautiful, yet marginalized identities—being Black, Muslim, and female. Speaking from experiences, we generally feel the burden of all three. Sometimes in separate instances, and other times all at once. The standard when you’re viewed as less-than-equal in society is to work twice as hard to prove yourself to be otherwise. For Black Muslim women, it’s not only ingrained in us to work three times as hard but it’s expected of us by society.

On the same hand, Black Muslim women bear the burden of tokenization in the fashion industry, while brands get celebrated for their quick efforts. On social media, it feels like unpaid brand partnerships with companies are just an aim to reach an untapped market. In media, we see campaigns that utilize Black Muslim women to showcase diversity, while we hear stories of models being mistreated. It's clear that Black Muslim women bring brands value, and while the surge in representation is much needed, in many cases it may just be a facade. For instance, some brands cast Black Muslim women as models, and yet support (or stay silent on) topics that directly affect this group of women—namely, the banning and criminalization of Muslim women wearing hijab, while celebrities and models are praised for appropriating similar styles.