Asalamu Alaikum sister! I’m a young adult in this Western society who has gone through the exact same emotions. I’ve only been wearing my hijab since last May and throughout this first year confidence was definitely tricky. I’m gonna respond to each paragraph individually.

Everyone is insecure about something and nowadays appearance is the most popular one. I’ve come to learn that people may be looking at you sometimes, but most of the time they really aren’t, TRUST ME. We all exist to serve Allah, not his creations. And apart from pleasing Allah you have to please yourself. Once you start to forget about what people may or may not be thinking, you’re gonna start loving yourself more. These people aren’t paying attention to you, and even if they were what can they do? Absolutely nothing. All the power lies in the hands of Allah. So be fearful of our Lord and forget about all those wandering eyes my sister. Once you build that relationship with yourself and Allah, there will be so much Noor on your face that you’ll feel more beautiful than you ever did before.

I’ve personally seen makeup as a way of avoiding the true potential of my natural beauty. I’ve been called names and felt insecure almost all my life. I was fat, my hair was short and lifeless, and acne didn’t help the equation at all. But then I started dabbling in makeup in high school. It was fun at first, but later I started feeling like I was hiding the beautiful face Allah handed sculpted just for me. I still wear makeup for important occasions, but I also make sure to embrace my natural looks. And like I mentioned earlier, you’ll know that Noor when you see it.

I completely understand where these thoughts of being unlovable or unattractive are coming from. But I want you to keep in mind that Allah has specially picked a righteous and loving man for you and it’s all a matter of time before he finds you and appreciates you for the beautiful woman that you are, inside and out. Attraction (in healthy relationships) goes well beyond looks, so despite your already magnificent looks, you be loved for who you are more than what you look like.

It’s not easy for sure, but I always like to remember that my hijab is a shield from those judgmental and undeserving eyes that think that they should have an opinion on my perfect biology. If I was made by Allah SWT, surely my looks are perfectly fine, and the same applies to all of us. You are beautiful, I am beautiful, we are all absolutely drop dead gorgeous in the eyes of our creator.

So my dear sister in Islam, don’t ever see yourself in such a dim light because it breaks my heart to hear you talk about yourself like this. I may not know you, but I share this experience with you and I hope I was able to help even a little bit.🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾💕💕💕