Day 9 challenge
Team: Bunyan Marsos
Zehra Rajput
How People Think Beauty Works in the Beauty Industry 🌸– And How It Really Is👹
Beauty — a word that sounds soft, gentle, even empowering. For many, it's about glowing skin,
confident smiles, and self-love. That’s what the beauty industry sells: the idea that you’re just
one product away from loving yourself. It claims to nourish, empower, and care for you. Walk
through any aisle or scroll social media — flawless faces, perfect bodies, glowing skin — all sold
with slogans like “Be You” or “Because You’re Worth It.”
But beauty today isn’t about being yourself — it’s about becoming what sells.
Behind the ads and hashtags is a billion-dollar empire built on insecurity and unattainable
standards. The industry doesn’t celebrate your natural self — it edits, filters, and reshapes
beauty into a changing ideal, making sure you always feel “not enough.”
The modern beauty myth is a coloniser’s invention — a universal standard that ignores racial
diversity and glorifies whiteness. Fair skin, double eyelids, narrow noses, and full lips are sold
as the global beauty ideal. Racism is deeply embedded, and the industry exploits it with false
solutions.
Beauty advertising spreads colonial ideas. Women internalize whiteness as a goal — influenced
by ads, they try to “fix” their faces and climb a beauty ladder shaped by Eurocentric norms. As
Anne McClintock explained in Imperial Leather, colonised people were viewed as dirty and wild.
Thus, makeup is used to “purify” — to erase non-white features.
This obsession with whiteness isn’t just about beauty — it’s colonial trauma. White is
everywhere: soaps, creams, moisturizers. As Roro Retno Wulan said, colonisers equated dark
skin with dirt. Advertising became a tool to destroy the self-confidence of colonised women,
stripping them of agency.
When makeup isn't enough, surgery steps in. Cosmetic surgery offers racialised people a
perceived path to power. In the U.S., Asian-American surgery demand hit \$17.5 billion in 2013.
South Korea alone performed 15 million surgeries last year — so many that
Apgujeong-Gangnam is now called the “Beauty Belt.”
As Minh, a Vietnamese woman, said: “Women need to be beautiful. If their noses are flat and
eyes are small, they should get it fixed.” This mindset is pushed by influencers who sell beauty
as success. Bodies and features are now trends — just like clothes.
In the past, models were thin and white. Then came the curvy Instagram look. Now it’s a racially
ambiguous “filtered” face — plump lips, cat eyes, high cheekbones — achieved with makeup
and surgery. Naomi Wolf called beauty a currency in "The Beauty Myth", showing how it keeps
women in competition under patriarchy.
Instagram Face — popularized by Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner — is now the ideal. It’s
white but “ambiguous,” achieved through filters and fillers. In 2018, Americans spent \$16.5
billion on cosmetic surgery. 92% of it was women. In 2024, surgeon Paul Banwell noted that
patients now want to look like their filtered selves.
This leads to “ethno-altering” — especially in East Asia — where women erase their racial
features to appear more Caucasian. Double eyelid surgeries and nose reshaping are common.
Korean ads often use white models, pushing the message that looking less Asian is more
desirable.
South Korea’s post-war industrialisation, Western influence, and job market competition made
looks a hiring factor. Applications require photos, and good looks signal intelligence and worth.
In Asian cultures, beauty is tied to productivity. Appearance is linked to fate — a belief rooted in
physiognomy. Cosmetic changes are seen as paths to prosperity. The industry exploits this
belief, presenting surgery and products as keys to success. Women are left selling their altered
bodies in the job market.
> In the end, the beauty industry doesn’t just sell products — it sells power, privilege, and
permission to exist. And until we redefine beauty on our own terms, we’ll remain buyers of
someone else’s fantasy.
🌎How Beauty Standards Keep Changing – And Why Your Body Was Never the Problem
Beauty, often imagined as a soft, glowing celebration of the self, has long been weaponized as a
standard — a moving target shaped by time, power, and privilege. Today, we may associate
beauty with filters, curated Instagram feeds, and glowing skin — but beneath that lies a more
complex truth: beauty standards are not just arbitrary; they are built, sold, policed, and reshaped
by the world around us.
From the Venus of Willendorf to TikTok trends, the body has always been a site of projection —
of cultural anxiety, control, and identity. What was once sacred became shameful. What was
once shamed is now aspirational. But at every moment in history, one thing has remained
constant: beauty standards keep changing, and we keep trying to chase them.
A History of the Changing Ideal: When Beauty Was a Symbol of Power, Fertility, or Class 🌟
In prehistoric times, beauty symbolized survival and fertility. The Venus of Willendorf (25,000
BCE), with her wide hips, large breasts, and full belly, embodied abundance and creation. In
contrast, Ancient Egypt (1550 BCE) celebrated soft curves, golden skin, and symmetrical
features — but even these standards varied by gender and class.
In Ancient Greece, small breasts and visible rolls were desirable. Greek women, worshipping
Aphrodite, bleached their hair with vinegar and painted their faces with dangerous white lead.
Beauty wasn’t effortless — it was painful, dangerous, and deeply racialized.
By the Viking Age (800 AD), hygiene became beauty. Bright white arms, shiny hair — signs of
cleanliness and strength — were prized. In the Renaissance, a high forehead meant wisdom,
and curves were openly celebrated, but breasts were bound to flatten them — reminding us that
even body parts were negotiated against each other.
During the Victorian era, beauty became about fragility. Corsets crushed women into S-shapes,
fainting was considered feminine, and pale skin symbolized wealth. The ideal woman was sickly,
dainty, and passive — seen but barely able to breathe. Here, beauty was tightly tied to class and
compliance.
---
The Rise of Industrial Beauty and the Birth of the “Ideal” Woman ✨
The late 1800s brought us the Gibson Girl — not a real woman, but a fantasy, drawn by a man.
She was curvy but thin, athletic but not too strong, confident but dependent on men. She was
the beginning of the commercial ideal — a mass-produced, unattainable standard that has
haunted women ever since.
As we moved into the 20th century, fashion and beauty swung wildly. In the 1920s, femininity
was flattened: short hair, straight lines, and androgyny ruled. By the 1950s, the hourglass
returned — but not naturally. Girdles, structured bras, and media pressure sculpted women’s
bodies into exaggerated femininity.
Then came the 1960s and 70s, chasing youth and thinness. The body became political. In the
1980s, women wore shoulder pads and power suits to fit into male-dominated workspaces —
but were still expected to remain thin. Fitness culture exploded. Thin wasn’t enough — you had
to be toned, too.
By the 1990s, the “heroin chic” look dominated — pale, fragile, bony. Then the 2010s
reintroduced curves, but this time surgically enhanced: tiny waists, huge hips, and flat
stomachs. The “natural” look was anything but natural — it was curated, paid for, and
labor-intensive.
Who Gets to Be Beautiful? The Politics of the Body 😮💨
This cycle raises a difficult truth: beauty standards have always favored power, privilege, and
proximity to whiteness. Consider Sara Baartman, a Black South African woman from the 19th
century, who was publicly exhibited in Europe due to her full hips and backside — mocked and
dissected for features that today are glorified on magazine covers.
She was never seen as beautiful — until those same features were worn by wealthier, whiter
women. This isn’t just history; it’s a pattern. Marginalized bodies are often ridiculed — until
they’re stolen and repackaged as trends.
From Eurocentric facial features to skin bleaching, from hair straightening to colorism — the
standard of beauty has long been colonial, capitalist, and whitewashed. Beauty isn’t just what’s
in — it’s also about who’s in, and who has always been kept out.
--The Psychological Toll: Eating Disorders, Objectification, and the Price of the Mold 😵
For many women — especially those navigating eating disorders, body dysmorphia, or
marginalization — these shifting standards aren't just frustrating; they’re devastating.
Therapists often find that clients struggling with body image aren’t fighting themselves — they’re
fighting a system. One that never asked for consent before imposing what’s “in style.” Beauty
becomes tied to self-worth, and many are made to believe they are failures just for existing in a
body that doesn’t match the moment.
Diet culture, waist trainers, surgery, and Photoshop have built an economy around these
insecurities. Some studies even show people would rather lose years of life than gain weight.
That’s not beauty — that’s violence disguised as aspiration.
And yet, we still ask: “How do I get back to my old body?” instead of “Why am I trying to fit into a
body that was never meant for me?”
Today’s Shift: Body Positivity or New Packaging? 🤓
In recent years, there’s been a push toward body positivity, diverse representation, and inclusive
beauty campaigns. But while the faces are more varied, the mold still exists. The “ideal” is now
marketed as effortless, but still demands symmetry, tone, and “just the right amount” of
everything.
We may see plus-size models, but often only within a certain acceptable range. We may
celebrate curves, but only if they appear on hourglass figures. Even in “diversity,” there are
rules.
So what’s really changed? 🤐
The language, perhaps — but not the pressure.
---A Final Thought: Your Body Is Not a Trend 🙂
If there’s one thing history teaches us, it’s this: there has never been one way to be beautiful.
Every decade, the “ideal” has changed. Every era had its impossible standard. And every
woman who tried to meet it has paid a price.
So why do we still chase something that keeps moving? 🧐
Your body has carried you through time, through change, through trauma and
triumph. It has evolved with you — and it doesn’t owe anyone “prettiness.”
"You were never the problem. The standard was."
Let the takeaway be this:
Beauty standards are illusions. Your body is not.
Let it be the constant in a world that keeps shifting.
Sources
https://share.google/NAsDXPFcpkrdQ6cRC
https://share.google/b0h4WBfNJXqJrtM19
https://www.rosycheeked.com/beauty/the-global-standard-of-beauty-an-encyclopedic-guide/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram_face
https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/beauty/are-we-heading-for-a-beauty-burnout
https://share.google/eExJ3pRlQYxzi7zCu
https://share.google/5PuN28Z1r6WLcgPDy
https://share.google/7CMn8DBsbiXJZ4ncQ
https://share.google/KVnPqmgRJFJm9Guea
https://share.google/bGYTX6j7XvlJbYJCP
https://share.google/PfHEs7YdWdOy2vBPq
Hifza
Hidden Messages in Ads, Influencers & Trends
The beauty and fashion industry thrives on psychological manipulation. It embeds hidden
messages that shape how we see ourselves and our value:
Advertisements and influencer content emphasize ultra-thin bodies, flawless skin, and
expensive items, creating standards most can't reach. Studies show that U.S. teens who view
such ads have lower self-esteem and heightened anxiety, especially when they compare
themselves to idealized models
A 2018 paper “When Beauty is the Beast” highlights 3000+ ads per day targeting women, most
of which embed subliminal cues telling them they’re not enough.
Most beauty ads are heavily edited: smooth skin, remove imperfections, slim the body
This creates Snapchat Dysmorphia, people seek cosmetic changes to match filtered images
rather than their natural selves
Influencers often fail to clearly disclose paid promotions or affiliate links, leading followers to
believe product endorsements are genuine.
A Princeton study found over 90% of influencer content hides these marketing incentives
Phrases like “clean eating” or “diet resets” are used to disguise extreme restriction and instill
guilt, often triggering disordered eating
59% of Australians reported diet/fitness content negatively impacted their self-image; 63%
engage in harmful comparison
Influencers craft “relatable” personas, but often promote trends and products for profit, shaping
follower aspirations and purchases. This “authenticity” is carefully curated to drive consumer
behavior.
These hidden tactics create insecurity, prompting women to buy beauty products and lifestyle
changes they don’t need.
The messages are often subliminal, tapping into desires, fears, and comparisons without
followers being fully aware.
The beauty industry sells more than products, it sells insecurity. Through carefully crafted
messages and influencer content, it reshapes how women see themselves. Muslim women are
affected in complex ways: not just by insecurity, but by the spiritual harm of losing their
connection to ḥayā, modesty, and Islamic confidence.
Sources:
https://nypost.com/2025/07/16/health/insider-exposes-5-dark-fitness-industry-secrets/?utm
https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmblr/vol11/iss2/7/?utm
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-dark-side-social-media-impact.amp?utm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapchat_dysmorphia?utm
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/university_honors_program/20/?utm
Soha
---
🔍 How are young Muslim girls especially affected by social media and the beauty industry?
Young Muslim girls are uniquely positioned at the crossroads of two conflicting worlds: a faith
that values modesty, spiritual identity, and humility, and a digital culture that glorifies visibility,
sexualization, and consumerism. Unlike their peers who may simply absorb beauty ideals,
Muslim girls must negotiate their very identity in spaces where their values are either erased,
exoticized, or misrepresented. When influencers and brands showcase a hijab wrapped around
a perfectly contoured face, tight clothing, and designer bags, the hijab stops being a symbol of
devotion to God and becomes just another accessory — empty, stylized, and marketable. This
transformation is not subtle; it’s deliberate, driven by capitalist incentives that see modest
fashion not as a spiritual choice, but as a monetizable niche. As a result, young Muslim girls
often begin to internalize that they are only "empowered" if their modesty looks fashionable,
palatable, and Instagram-worthy. Their spiritual commitment is now measured not in sincerity,
but in likes and aesthetics. It creates a deeply unsettling paradox: stay true to faith and be
invisible, or conform and be seen.
🧕🏽 How is modesty being distorted through social media and the beauty industry?
Modesty, once a quiet, inward-facing practice — meant to reflect humility before God — has
now been hijacked by the visual language of Instagram and YouTube. Hijab tutorials, modest
makeup routines, and #HijabiFashion hauls promote a version of modesty that is aesthetically
pleasing but spiritually hollow. Brands and influencers have commercialized modesty to such a
degree that young girls are made to feel their clothing must be both "covered" and "cute" — as if
spiritual intention isn't enough. And worse, media shows girls that the hijab is something to
escape from in order to truly thrive. Dramas like Elite portray the hijabi girl as “cold” until she
removes it and becomes “beautiful and free.” This not only misrepresents Islamic values but
reinforces a colonial gaze that sees modesty as oppression and nakedness as liberation. The
message is clear: the world will only accept you if you strip away your faith — literally and
metaphorically.
🪞 What impact does this have on their confidence and self-worth?
The constant visual comparison on platforms like TikTok and Instagram leads many Muslim girls
to question their own worth. While Islamic teachings center a woman’s value on her piety and
character, social media teaches them that their value lies in beauty, desirability, and popularity.
This creates a painful tension. Girls may feel like outsiders in both worlds — not quite Western
enough to belong in influencer spaces, yet not always supported by traditional communities that
fail to address their digital struggles. Even worse, when modest fashion becomes performance,
girls start to believe they are only worthy if they can present the “perfect hijabi aesthetic.” This
warps confidence, making spiritual sincerity feel inadequate. While some research shows that
modest dress can protect mental health and enhance body image, this only holds true when
modesty is internally motivated — not when it's policed by filters and fashion trends. When hijab
becomes performance, it loses its power to protect.
⚖️ How does comparison culture affect Muslim girls differently?
Comparison culture is brutal, but for Muslim girls it’s amplified. Not only are they comparing
themselves to idealized Western beauty standards, they are also comparing their faith-based
practices to a curated version of religious life online. One girl may ask herself: “Why doesn’t my
hijab look as sleek as hers?” “Why do I feel plain when other Muslim influencers look flawless?”
This is no longer comparison — it’s spiritual self-doubt, fueled by an industry that profits off
insecurity. It also creates a hierarchy of acceptable Muslim femininity: thin, fair-skinned,
designer-clad, and photogenic. Girls who don’t fit this mold feel erased — or worse, unworthy.
And while Islamic teachings offer tools like qana’ah (contentment) and taqwa
(God-consciousness) to resist these pressures, those values are drowned out in a digital world
that screams: “You are not enough.”
🔥 Final Thought
This is not just a media problem. It’s an ideological war — one that commodifies faith,
weaponizes beauty, and turns spirituality into spectacle. It is no accident that the very symbol
meant to liberate Muslim women from objectification is now being sold back to them as a
fashion trend. The beauty industry and global media aren’t just affecting Muslim girls — they are
actively reshaping what it means to be a modest, faithful woman in the public eye. And in doing
so, they’re not offering empowerment — they’re selling enslavement disguised as freedom. The
antidote lies in radical self-awareness, digital literacy, and a return to authentic, God-centered
identity — one that refuses to be filtered, monetized, or commodified.
Sources
https://share.google/QlqFbQLytZFjD683u
https://ihsancoaching.com/social-media-and-muslim-girls/
https://adsofbrands.net/en/news/new-research-shows-58-of-muslim-women-feel-stereotyped-in-
media-and-advertising/6951#:~:text=A%20new%20report%20has%20shown,stereotyped%20in
%20ads%20and%20media
https://thesciencesurvey.com/editorial/2023/06/06/a-mosaic-of-hijabi-narratives/#:~:text=Over%2
0the%20pandemic%2C%20I%20spent,the%20sake%20of%20a%20boy
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3353158#:~:text=This%20article%20studi
es%20uses%20of,of%20female%20entrepreneurship%20and%20consumer
Hira Fatima
How do these Beauty brands make you insecure?
Beauty brands can make us feel insecure so that they can generate their income.
Here are the following points
🌟 1. Creating Unrealistic Beauty Standards
Photoshopped images and airbrushed models show "perfect" skin, hair, and body types that are
often impossible to achieve naturally.
They promote one kind of beauty (e.g., fair skin, slim body, flawless features) as the ideal —
making people who don't fit that mold feel "less than."
---
🎯 2. Targeting Insecurities
Brands subtly highlight “problems” we didn’t even know we had: wrinkles, dark circles, acne
scars, frizzy hair, uneven skin tone.
Then they sell the "solution" — a cream, serum, or treatment — making you feel like you need
products to be acceptable.
---
🧠 3. Repetition of Negative Messaging
Phrases like “fix your flaws,” “anti-aging,” or “get flawless skin” are repeated constantly.
This repetition trains your brain to believe something is wrong with you — even if it’s natural (like
aging or textured skin).
---
💼 4. Influencer & Celebrity Influence
Paid influencers show off products and results that are often enhanced by lighting, filters, or
cosmetic procedures — not just the product.
This leads consumers to think they’re not doing enough to look “beautiful.”
---
⏳ 5. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
Ads often suggest, "If you don’t use this product, you’ll fall behind," making people feel rushed
or pressured to buy beauty products.
That is how these Beauty brands make us fool and generate income.
● One thing that we have to remember as a Muslim that Allah has make us perfect in our
features. He makes us what he wants us to make as Allah says in Quran:
َ ٰ " َل َق ۡد َخ َل ۡق َنا ٱِإۡل
نس َن ف ِٓى َأ ۡح َس ِن َت ۡق ِو ٖيم
"Indeed, We created man in the best of form
---
Here are a few eye-opening statistics to get you started:
● The beauty industry generates over $650 billion in revenue worldwide.
● The men's personal care market is projected to hit $276.9 billion by 2030.
● Skincare is projected to generate up to $177 billion by 2025.
● Beauty companies spent an estimated $7.7 billion on advertising in 2022.
● Cosmetic retailers report $17.09 billion in online sales
Beauty brands annual revenue:
● Huda Beauty products brought in an annual revenue of $75 million, with the brand's
popularity only growing through new releases.
● Mac Cosmetics's flagship domain maccosmetics.com generated revenues of US$162m
in 2024.
● In 2024 the company made a revenue of $45.25 Billion USD a decrease over the
revenue in the year 2023 that were of $45.52 Billion USD.
These are just three brands who are generating that much money. We have to start to accept
ourselves so that no one make us fool.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huda_Beauty
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.askattest.
com/blog/articles/beauty-cosmetics-market-size%23:~:text%3DGlobal%2520and%2520US-,The
%2520beauty%2520and%2520personal%2520care%2520industry%2520continues%2520its%2
520impressive%2520growth,US%2524677.2%2520billion%2520in%25202025.&ved=2ahUKEwi
o16mmk8uOAxUk8LsIHQ95JJIQFnoECDQQBQ&usg=AOvVaw15vWBl-oaCjGEwlfd8DwOR
https://www.askattest.com/blog/articles/beaut
https://explodingtopics.com/blog/beauty-industry-stats?utm_source=perplexity
https://companiesmarketcap.com
https://ChapGPT
Hifza
How has Islam already freed us from beauty industry's trap?
While the beauty industry profits from our insecurities, Islam offers a timeless solution:
self-worth rooted in divine value, not appearance. Where the modern world says “you’re not
enough, buy more to be beautiful,” Islam says you are already enough when you walk with hayā
(modesty), taqwa (God-consciousness), and self-respect.
What is Hayā?
Linguistically, hayā’ is derived from the root hayiyy, which comes from the word hayāh (life).
Heavy rain is referred to as hayyan because with it comes the life of the earth, and plants and
animals. Similarly, the worldly life and the afterlife are defined through hayā’; whoever does not
have hayā’ would be (spiritually) dead in this life, and also miserable in the afterlife. Some
linguists have said: “The life in one’s face comes from its hayā’, just as the life of a planted seed
comes from watering it.”
The level of one’s hayā’ is based on how much life is in the heart…so the more alive the heart,
the more complete the hayā’.
The modern beauty industry convinces women that their worth lies in appearance, pushing them
to chase ever-changing trends, compare themselves to others, and reveal more to be accepted.
In contrast, Islam teaches ḥayā (modesty), which values a woman’s dignity, character, and inner
beauty. While the industry profits from insecurity, ḥayā builds confidence, self-respect, and
peace.
Ḥayā teaches that a woman’s true value lies not in her physical appearance but in her character,
dignity, and relationship with Allah. While the industry says "show more to be beautiful.”
You can’t follow Instagram beauty culture and fully live by ḥayā at the same time because one
says "show more", the other says "guard yourself".
“Ḥayā and immodesty cannot stay together in one heart. One will push the other out.”
The beauty industry may sell makeup, but Islam through ḥayā gives you something better:
"Make-up for the soul" dignity, peace, and self-worth.
So when you choose ḥayā, you’re not rejecting beauty
You’re choosing the beauty that never fades. 🌸
Quranic Perspective:
In the Quran, God says, “And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and
guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must
ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms…” (24:31).
When God revealed this verse, the female companions of the Prophet Muhammadp promptly
adopted these guidelines. In a similar spirit of obedience, Muslim women have maintained
modest covering (hijab) ever since.
The Qur’an in Surah An-Nur (24:30-31) commands both men and women to lower their gaze
and guard their modesty, emphasizing that beauty is not meant for public display, but is a trust
to be guarded.
In Surah Al-Ahzab (33-59) Allah says:
“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their
cloaks (jilbāb) around them. That will be better, that they may be known and not abused...”
In a society that judges by looks, Islam protects women by distinguishing them for their values,
not their appearance. Covering isn’t to hide beauty but to protect identity and command respect.
Tabarruj, or the public display of beauty for attention, is directly linked to modern beauty
standards promoted through media, influencers, and fashion. Islam protects women from this
pressure by encouraging modesty, self-respect, and dignity, reminding them that their value lies
in character, not cosmetic appearance.
There are two Quranic verses containing variations of the word tabarruj.
(Referring to the wives of Muhammad) “And stay in your houses and do not display yourselves
(tabarrajna) like that (tabarruj) of the times of ignorance." (Q.33:33)
"And women of post-menstrual age who have no desire for marriage - there is no blame upon
them for putting aside their outer garments [but] not displaying (mutabarrijatin) adornment. But
to modestly refrain [from that] is better for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing" (Q.24.60)
Islam doesn’t reject beauty, but it sets boundaries so that beauty doesn’t become a tool for
fitnah (temptation) or self-worth. By avoiding tabarruj, Muslim women protect their dignity,
modesty, and emotional peace, while also stepping away from a culture that constantly sells
insecurity in the name of confidence.
In Surah Taha (20:131) Allah says:
"Do not stretch your eyes towards what We have given some of them to enjoy the splendor of
the worldly life..."
Islam teaches not to compare ourselves with others’ outward beauty or material things breaking
the comparison culture that social media feeds.
Surah At-Tin, 95:4): Human beings are described as being created in
the best of forms (Surah At-Tin, 95:4). This emphasizes the intrinsic value and dignity of
human beings, suggesting that physical beauty is a manifestation of divine craftsmanship.
Surah An-Nur (24:31): Discusses the concept of modesty and provides guidelines for
both men and women on how to dress and behave.
Surah Al-A'raf (7:26): Refers to clothing as a means to cover nakedness and as an
adornment, emphasizing the "clothing of righteousness."
Surah Al-Ahzab (33:59): Advises women to draw their outer garments around them for
modesty and protection.
Surah Al-Isra (17:37): Encourages moderation in behavior and dress, avoiding
extravagance and arrogance.
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:168): Encourages believers to consume lawful and good things,
implying an emphasis on purity and beauty in all aspects of life.
Hadith Based Wisdom:
The Prophet ﷺsaid:
"Indeed, Allah does not look at your appearance or your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and
your deeds."
(Sahih Muslim 2564)
Your worth is not in your looks, but in your character and sincerity. This completely contradicts
the beauty industry that judges women by appearance.
The Prophet ﷺsaid:
"Every religion has a distinct characteristic, and the distinct characteristic of Islam is ḥayā
(modesty)."
(Sunan Ibn Majah 4181, Hasan)
In Islam, modesty is not weakness it’s a spiritual strength. It protects women from being turned
into objects of attraction and gives them inner peace.
The Prophet ﷺsaid:
"Modesty (ḥayā) brings nothing except good."
(Sahih Bukhari 6117)
Unlike the beauty industry that links boldness with confidence, Islam tells us that true good and
self respect comes from modesty, not exposure.
The Prophet ﷺsaid:
"The best of your women is the affectionate, the fertile, the comforting, the agreeable if she
fears Allah. The worst of your women is the one who shows her charms..."
(Musnad Ahmad 18508, Hasan)
Islam defines the best woman not by her body or face, but by her faith, modesty, and kindness.
The Prophet ﷺsaid:
"The woman is ‘awrah (a private treasure), so when she goes out, the devil beautifies her in
people’s eyes."
(Tirmidhi 1173, Hasan)
Islam sees the woman as something precious not to be displayed for the world. This protects
her from the harmful gaze, objectification, and exploitation.
Islam doesn’t suppress beauty, it redefines it. True freedom is not in becoming society’s version
of pretty. It’s in breaking free from that mold, knowing that your beauty lies in your obedience to
Allah, your manners, your character, and your purpose.
You don’t need to chase beauty trends. You were created beautiful in your own fitrah. 🌸
Sources:
https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/haya-more-than-just-modesty?utm
https://theauthenticbase.wordpress.com/tag/satan/?
https://www.islamicity.org/hadith/search/index.php?q=13620&sss=1&utm
https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah%3A4181?utm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabarruj?utm
https://www.whyislam.org/hijab-in-islam-modesty-humility-and-dignity/?utm
https://hadeethenc.com/en/browse/hadith/4555?utm
https://firdawsonline.com/womens-modesty-in-quran/?utm
https://hadithoftheday.com/modesty-an-inside-out-approach/?utm
