I Tried the Nike pro Hijab and Here’s What I Think
by Rawnak Jassm in Culture & Lifestyle on 21st December, 2017
Source: store.nike.com
Muslim women playing sport is not a new phenomenon as Nike has almost led us to believe. I’ve been playing football in my back garden as early as I can remember. If you ask me what I wore on my head when I first started playing sport in a hijab I couldn’t tell you.
But I know that picking out a hijab never really got in the way.
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Today, I tend to wear an “ameera” scarf when I play most types of sport. Every hijabi girl has most certainly donned the ameera scarf phase in their early hijab wearing days. The ameera scarf is the slip on- slip off scarf that gives that minimalist look and requires no effort or pinning. It has worked perfectly fine for me whilst playing football, or hitting aerobics or Zumba classes as well as going for a jog.
So how did I feel when the corporate sportswear giant Nike leapt on the opportunity to hijack the hijab and create a “groundbreaking garment”?
Like most hijabi girls I knew they were jumping on the bandwagon to target the lucrative Muslim market.
Did the Pro Hijab really offer anything new?
Did they really care about how I felt as a sport playing Muslim woman?
I wasn’t quite convinced.After all where were they when I needed a slightly more modest sport’s tee or an alternative to the hot pants that are typically sold in women’s sports ranges (and not men’s).
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This December Nike had clogged up my Instagram feed with adverts and celebrity endorsements featuring the Nike Pro hijab. The revolution was coming. The Nike Pro hijab was going to be made available and it was going to change a Muslim’s woman’s sporting experience forever.
Soon after experiencing Nike’s well-targeted social media campaign, my cynicism was challenged by my friend who handed me a packaged gift. Earlier that week she had asked me to measure my face from top to bottom and did not provide an explanation. I had never been asked to measure my face so I heavily speculating on what it is she was ordering for me. Was it a boujee face mask that covered my face perfectly? Was she buying me a niqab that was made to measure? I soon found out that she had purchased the one and only Nike Pro hijab for me. I had mixed emotions. I was excited to try it on. After all it was trend setting and all the inspirational sports women were endorsing it including the likes of Ibtihaj Muhammed and other fabulous hijabi women I had never even heard of before.
As I thanked my friend the thoughts in my head didn’t stop. What about my previous critique of the Nike Pro Hijab. My friend could read the emotions on my face. I told her that I was excited to wear it and that the idea would grow on me but I’m not sure she was buying it.
So what’s my real verdict you may ask? Maybe I haven’t quite sweated enough to appreciate the innovative breathable Nike Pro hijab fabric but maybe it will inspire women and young girls to excel in sport and push harder than I ever did. Maybe it will bring Muslim women to the forefront of the sporting world as mainstream brands like Nike introduce products like the hijab alongside mainstream sportswear.
Maybe one day it won’t be a surprise to see a hijabi on the field and no longer on the sidelines.
Also, let’s face it my Ameera scarf never really stayed put when I did the downward facing dog during yoga. Perhaps the Nike Pro hijab will.
Rawnak Jassm
Rawnak works in local government on community engagement projects. She is very passionate about projects and charities that empower young girls and women. Rawnak is also very passionate about the power of sport and its ability to improve girls' and women's confidence. From her experience, it is also a fabulous way to bring women together from all walks of life- which can be very empowering. She particularly enjoys playing football and is an FA qualified coach looking to create a young girls football team in 2018. Rawnak is also interested in many other things including campaigning for women's rights, fashion, food and faith.
