Do you see yourself as a role model? How do you use your social media as a role model? Was this your intention when you started with your Instagram account?
Let’s start with breaking down being a blogger or influencer never was my intention. At that time, I was 19 and just as every other teenager, I started sharing things because ‘eVerYonNe dID iT’. So, during my studies I kinda discovered and experimented with fashion and before I knew it my following became bigger. I never saw myself as a role model and now I really have a hard time accepting it. I know that people really want to push that responsibility on me, but I rather see myself as a big sister who shares some inspiration and talks about topics that need to be highlighted more.
After all, I’m still a human being, I’m still young and experimenting with my own life and that includes failures too. So being a ‘role model’ is way too big of a responsibility that I don’t want to carry and rather don’t want to be directed by someone else.
You recently decided to no longer wear a headscarf. What did you think about the fact that certain media used your story to open the discussion about headscarves?
I think it’s sad how the media tries to use and misuse personal stories of individuals, like me, for their own greater goal. I feel that the media clearly has lost sight of its goal, there is no attention for someone’s privacy, mental health or let alone private life and/or boundaries. FYI, I kindly declined every interview proposal back then because, as we all know, the media takes its own narrative despite what you say. Especially when it’s about sensitive subjects like that. It’s not about you, but about the clicks.
Talking about freedom, do you have the feeling you can be truly yourself or is there still anything holding you back?
Yes and no, I’m striving to be completely free and I do my best to live my life on my own terms, but we all know how life, places, structures or certain unwritten rules can limit you in your freedom. But I’m more than ready to break down those structures and obstacles. Always thriving, always striving to be free.