My Body is my Business
By Sultana Yusufali - Toronto Star Young People's Press

 I probably do not fit into the preconceived notion of a "rebel".

 I have no visible tattoos and minimal piercing. I do not possess a
 leather jacket. In fact, when most people look at me, their first
 thought usually is something along the lines of ``oppressed female.'' 

 The brave individuals who have mustered the courage to ask me about
 the way I dress usually have questions like: ``Do your parents make
 you wear that?'' or ``Don't you find that really unfair?'' 

 A while back, a couple of girls in Montreal were kicked out of school
 for dressing like I do. It seems strange that a little piece of cloth
 would make for such controversy. Perhaps the fear is that I am
 harboring an Uzi underneath it. You never can tell with those Muslim
 fundamentalists. 

 Of course, the issue at hand is more than a mere piece of cloth. I am
 a Muslim woman who, like millions of other Muslim women across the
 globe, chooses to wear the hijab. There are many different ways to
 wear it, but in essence, what we do is cover our entire bodies except
 for our hands and faces.

 If you're the kind of person who has watched a lot of popular movies,
 you'd probably think of harem girls and belly-dancers, women who are
 kept in seclusion except for the private pleasure of their male
 masters. In the true Islamic faith, nothing could be further from the
 truth. And the concept of the hijab, contrary to popular opinion, is
 actually one of the most fundamental aspects of female empowerment. 

 When I cover myself, I make it virtually impossible for people to
 judge me according to the way I look. I cannot be categorized because
 of my attractiveness or lack thereof. Compare this to life in today's
 society: We are constantly sizing one another up on the basis of our
 clothing, jewelry, hair and makeup. What kind of depth can there be
 in a world like this? 

 Yes, I have a body, a physical manifestation upon this Earth. But it
 is the vessel of an intelligent mind and a strong spirit. It is not
 for the beholder to leer at or to use in advertisements to sell
 everything from beer to cars. Because of the superficiality of the
 world in which we live, external appearances are so stressed that the
 value of the individual counts for almost nothing. 

 It is a myth that women in today's society are liberated. What kind of
 freedom can there be when a woman cannot walk down the street without
 every aspect of her physical self being ``checked out''? 

 When I wear the hijab I feel safe from all of this. I can rest assured
 that no one is looking at me and making assumptions about my character
 from the length of my skirt. There is a barrier between me and those
 who would exploit me. I am first and foremost a human being, equal to
 any man, and not vulnerable because of my sexuality. 

 One of the saddest truths of our time is the question of the beauty
 myth and female self-image. Reading popular teenage magazines, you can
 instantly find out what kind of body image is ``in'' or ``out.'' And
 if you have the ``wrong'' body type, well, then, you're just going to
 have to change it, aren't you? After all, there is no way that you can
 be overweight and still be beautiful. 

 Look at any advertisement. Is a woman being used to sell the product?
 How old is she? How attractive is she? What is she wearing? More often
 than not, that woman will be no older than her early 20s, taller,
 slimmer and more attractive than average, dressed in skimpy clothing. 

 Why do we allow ourselves to be manipulated like this? Whether the
 '90s woman wishes to believe it or not, she is being forced into a
 mold. She is being coerced into selling herself, into compromising
 herself. This is why we have 13-year-old girls sticking their fingers
 down their throats and overweight adolescents hanging themselves . 

 When people ask me if I feel oppressed, I can honestly say no. I made
 this decision out of my own free will. I like the fact that I am
 taking control of the way other people perceive me. I enjoy the fact
 that I don't give anyone anything to look at and that I have released
 myself from the bondage of the swinging pendulum of the fashion
 industry and other institutions that exploit females. 

 My body is my own business. Nobody can tell me how I should look or
 whether or not I am beautiful. I know that there is more to me than
 that. I am also able to say no comfortably when people ask me if I
 feel as though my sexuality is being repressed. I have taken control
 of my sexuality. 

 I am thankful I will never have to suffer the fate of trying to
 lose/gain weight or trying to find the exact lipstick shade that will
 go with my skin color. I have made choices about what my priorities
 are and these are not among them. 

 So next time you see me, don't look at me sympathetically. I am not
 under duress or a male-worshipping female captive from those barbarous
 Arabic deserts. I've been liberated. 

 Sultana Yusufali, 17, is a Toronto high school student.