It’s winter so I’m covering more of my body, and I’m wearing my veils a little more tight and secure because of the wind. It’s all for practical reasons but it makes me worry. I don’t want it to look like I believe in or am upholding Abrahamic standards of modesty. I don’t even want to be confused as a follower of the Abrahamic god. I personally do not believe in modesty as a concept (however I believe one should be able to show or cover themself how they please without judgement) and am Irish polytheist. I understand that veiling is not part of said religion and don’t pretend it is. I personally just find a lot of comfort in it. I especially don’t believe in the idea of specifically pushing modesty on women while leaving others alone. I worry about my clothes being mistaken as a symbol of ideals so far from my own when I’m really just dressing comfortably and wearing what makes me happy.
This is my personal tips, if you find that something else works with you, then stick with it, this is just what works for me, and if you find it works, great! Also anyone can veil, remember that.
1. Good quality veils usually are from Muslim shops, here are some I personally use: sunnahstyle.com, hautehijab.com, bazaralhaya.com.
2. Invest in a good undercap (hair net or underscarf) especially if you plan on not showing any hair, I recommend haute hijab or sunnah style for the best undercaps.
3. Scarf magnets are a Godsend! The websites I recommended have good magnetic strength & are inexpensive! Sunnah Style are the cheapest!
4. Rectangle veils are more versatile than square scarves. If you plan on doing many styles, rectangle are the way to go. If you want simple, stick with square.
5. Woven, Chiffon, Mehdina Silk, or other light fabrics are best during Hot weather seasons. Jersey fabric is best for cold weather seasons.
6. Reminder, soft and light fabrics are more likely to slip, so wearing an undercap or magnets will help make the veil stay in place. Heavier fabrics like jersey will usually stay in place, but use magnets if you are in cold season, if you want your scarf to stay snug.
7. Light fabrics are usually less opaque, so folding it will make it least see through. Or simply wear an undercap will help with the opaqueness.
8. Etsy is best for printed veils, otherwise Haute Hijab has a great selection of printed fabrics. But remember, they only have Woven, Pleated, & Chiffon printed fabrics on their website.
9. I recommend SunnahStyle for face veils, mainly since I only bought them from that website, they have many types and colors: half veil, one layer, two layer, three layer, no-pinch (for people who wear glasses or just don’t like the pinching regular veils give), buttoned veils, etc.
10. You will probably get mistaken as a Muslim when wearing these styles, even though there’s historical evidence of the veil belonging in many practices. If you are uncomfortable with the association, I would recommend buying religious symbols or pins to put on your scarves to help differentiate you.
11. Remember, do not overdo yourself. Even wearing the lightest of fabrics, if you are in hot weather, you will still heat up. Please don’t overheat yourself, it’s okay to take off your scarves. Or invest in a portable fan, and drink lots of water to prevent heat exhaustion. Especially if you take meds that make you susceptible to heat.
12. The Gods will not be angry with you if you have to take off your veil, they understand that you are human and that you need to take care of yourself first.
These are some of my tips, if you have any questions, don’t feel afraid to ask or reach out to me. I hope this helps you on your journey!
Here’s the @ I promised when I posted this: @mikeyanderson97
Sunnah Style is an Islamic clothing company specializing in modest abaya, hijab, khimar, niqab, jilbab and thobe styles.
Welcome to Haute Hijab! Our mission is to create a world where every woman feels comfortable and confident. Shop premium hijabs in jersey, c
For modest fashion, go no farther than Bazar Al Haya, a woman's apparel brand specializing in modest attire. We are a family-owned business
So my school's dress code says I can't wear a bandana and I really don't feel like explaining to my catholic school why a bandana is a religious item but I veil in devotion to lady Hestia so I've decided to make a list of less conventional veiling ideas
This list will be centered around school/working environments and with dresscodes in mind but will likely have other ideas
I'll probably add to this as I come up with things, feel free to also add suggestions!
They'll be organized by how likely they'd be allowed in professional settings and how convenient they are
So, not even a week after resuming my veiling practice, I experienced discrimination. I don’t wish to recount the experience to save my emotional energy, but I do want to go into why I’m glad I had this experience, and how it encourages me to continue.
Firstly, I want to acknowledge the fact that my preferred approach to veiling does in fact make me resemble Muslim women. And because of this, I want to give a heartfelt thank you to Muslim women worldwide for setting the standard for others who find empowerment and comfort in modesty. As a white person, I have been aware of and sympathetic to the plight of Muslim women worldwide, but it’s different when it happens to you. It cements it. My heart aches for your strife and is full by your courage. This is one reason I’m glad for this experience. It strengthens my resolve and compassion. Thank you.
Another reason I’m glad for the experience, is because it reiterates why I want to veil in the first place. I live in Midwestern America. Our bodily autonomy is quickly being stolen from us. Our bodies are hyper-sexualized and spoken about as if all I’m good for is having babies that the government can raise as cattle for the capitalist machine. It’s a physical symbol of rejecting that. I get to decide how I look to others. I get to decide who gets access to my body, not just in a sexual manner but as a whole. For me, it’s a radical act of feminism. It feels as though the fibers in my headscarves and coverings are woven together in a greater tapestry of women worldwide. I can feel it with Muslim women, whom I do not share a religion with, but share something more important: kinship, and sisterhood. My threads are woven with the Muslim women in France who are fighting legislation for their right to be modest (that is batshit insane) and also with those victimized by western imperialism (which gave birth to the Taliban). The tapestry is worldwide, including Jewish women and their tichels, other pagans with their bandanas and beanies, even traditional Christian women who wear lace coverings. But modesty and autonomy reach beyond the gender divide so I have home in those who are also men, nonbinary, gender-fluid, two-spirit, and many others. It is community. It filters out many people who show their true intentions and beliefs, and makes it so much easier to cut through the lies and masks of people whose support is conditional.
I have always been modest and prudish and now I can celebrate it, instead of being “othered” by it. I feel as though it is a symbol of my devotion, but also a form of radical self-care that I celebrate myself.
It is Hera’s Crown.
It is Athena’s War Helmet.
It is Hermes’ Winged Helmet.
It is Eurybia’s Cloak of the Ocean.
It is Hades’ Helmet of Shadow.
It is Hestia’s Veil.
It is Zeus’ Crown.
It makes me feel godly and holy. It protects me. It invigorates me. It gives me confidence.
There’s something really comforting about veiling. Being able to have that extra layer of separation between myself and the outside world helps me keep my sensory issues at bay. Being able to have everyone see that I’m religious is such a powerful thing. Having a physical reminder of my devotion to my gods provides me with the strength to power through even the hardest days, because I always have them with me.
Whether it’s a simple bandana tied on before I leave the house, a full coverage scarf, or tegidion; I always feel more comforted and confident when i’m covered.
I've seen this idea that's sort of ingrained in the queer community that someone who dresses modestly and/or veils is either homophobic or doesn't belong in queer spaces. In reality, there are many queer people that wear veils like hijab/niqab, tichel, himation/tegidion, the list goes on. I think that idea comes from veiling being associated with misogyny and misogyny being linked with homophobia. While misogyny is often linked with homophobia, veiling is NOT a misogynistic practice. There's also this idea that men/nonbinary people can't and don't wear veils and many trans men and nonbinary people feel invalidated because queer and cishet people alike don't know that many religions allow and even encourage men to wear veils. In Hellenic polytheism (my religion) men and women alike have historically worn veils like the himation. I get a lot of people asking me why I identify as transmasc while wearing a veil and telling me that there's no point in me being nonbinary while wearing veils.
