Fashion comes in more than one form and the beauty of it is how it allows us to stay true to who we are. As much as fashion has allowed us to be who we are it has not always been inclusive of us all. Decades ago fashion had no room for size acceptance, color acceptance, all race acceptance or religious acceptance. Now we are living in a different reality where we have women of all shapes and sizes, skin tones, religions and races represented on platforms that celebrate fashion as a movement.
Being a fashion blogger was looked at as a hobby, today we have bloggers that are making a legit living from doing what they love the most. Beauty and fashion go hand in hand so it would make sense to create a career in both worlds. Thameenah Saint is a South African digital fashion influencer, stylist and professional makeup artist based in Johannesburg.
She is a Muslim woman who has given the term modest fashion a whole new meaning. As a digital influencer, it is up to you to create content that seeks to inspire those that either follow, read or watch them. Her social media feed gave me life and gave me a chance to learn the many ways of being stylish yet still managing to stay true to your religious beliefs.
One would think that with so many restrictions it can be hard to creatively style your looks as a Muslim woman but women like Thameenah change that narrative through their work. Her 22.6 thousand Instagram followers definitely agree with me on that.
Her approach to fashion is modern, articulate and detailed. This is visible in her choice of clothing, appreciation for her culture and her love for quality dressing. She includes a turban/hijab in all her styling and does so quite effortlessly. She has a love for trendy pieces but finds a way to add a few classic pieces that stay true to her personal style. She is knowledgeable about what makeup looks are hot on the scene and shares helpful beauty hacks with her many fans and followers.
She not only represents diversity in fashion but also a new way of celebrating the movement that is fashion. She finds different ways to express herself through how she chooses to dress and that can easily be achieved through modest dressing as well.
It was just last year that high-end designer labels began to include hijab couture as part of their collections and we even had a Muslim model on the cover of Vogue adorned in her hijab. These are major moves in the right direction and it paves the way for fashionistas like Thameenah as she builds a career in fashion for herself.
Being both a stylist and a makeup artist must be the best of both worlds but it also gives her a chance to explore and showcase her creative genius. She also has a love for luxury brands like Christian Dior, Jo Malone London among many others and regularly attends events that are in tune with her work.
She makes it look easy to look that good all the time, she has that “did she wake up like that or was she born with it” effect that you will have after one look at her endless fashion posts.
Being an influencer or a content creator in the digital world not only gives you an income but it also gives light to creative minds that would never have a chance to thrive say ten years ago. Let’s get inspired to shine bright as we stay true to our roots just like Thammenah Saint.
all images © courtesy of Thameenah Saint
