As we checked into our hotel room, the portrait on the wall grabbed my attention. There was such a phenomenal difference between myself and the girl in the portrait. With my green abaya and khimar I felt like a queen, with no one being able to judge me by my body.

All I kept thinking to myself was, I have displeased my Creator, I have wronged myself. And soon enough the tears started rolling down my face. It was actually rare for me to cry like that; my friends use to call me a “cactus” because they never saw me being emotional.

I’m still a newbie at this; at a stage where the wardrobe malfunctions have been reduced, but not quite at the stage where I’m used to the slight loss of peripheral vision when I drive.

I never thought I would take the word “unattractive” as a compliment. The concept of hijab has changed the way I view myself and the world around me.

My journey to hijab was a roller coaster ride, having a lot of ups and downs. When I was in college, it was “in fashion” or “cool” to wear hijab amongst girls my age. So I too would wrap a piece of cloth on my head without knowing the true purpose of that “piece of cloth.”