Thank you for noticing the cloth I wrap around my head, yes it is called a hijab, yes I am Muslim, and oh no- you don't have to look at me with your pity eyes and feel bad because, in fact, I am not oppressed. I'm the exact opposite.

Hijab does not sell short my beauty, as many would tell you is the purpose. Instead, it heightens the beauty within myself, the kind that reflects in my actions and my words. I made a choice to conceal my outer beauty to force attention to my inner. Why? Because outer beauty is not universal: it differs from person to person and although you might be gorgeous in someone's eyes, you could easily be unappealing in someone else's. But your insides are what matters most and when you ask what is most attractive about a person, you'll wind up hearing the same traits like honesty, politeness, warmth, generosity, and some more that just looking good can't offer. I don't want you to choose me because I'm pretty because that's superficial, I want you to choose me because I deserve it and because you want me too.

Oppression doesn't come from moms, Islam, male relatives, attires, or even God. It comes from the people who haven't gotten the time to know me but have a mission to save me because they see a tag labeled "oppressed" somewhere along with the Pashmina tag on my scarf. Instead of listening to my happiness, they scream over my words with ignorance and folly. They're the reason I'm oppressed. Because they tell my story for me when they claim their mission is to give me my own voice.

Hijab has allowed me to have patience in a society that points fingers at Muslims because difference is feared. I've learned to love and appreciate questions because it's an opportunity to tell you my story, share my voice. By wearing the hijab, you can only see what I allow you to see and you're forced to get to know the real me- and that is freedom.