Member-only story
POLITICS + WOMANISM
Fake Fendi
The women behind the veil
It was her eldest son’s wedding. She had to make the biggest statement. After all, she was the mother of all mothers of all grooms- that would be my cousin; he sucks, by the way. So, she went to her usual tailor down the street, and from his secret drawer, the tailor pulled out his finest new material, reserved only for his VIP clients. She told us how she bargained him down twice for the yards she used and joked that she would be so fabulous at her son’s wedding, she might outdo the bride. We thought she was joking.
So, I arrive at the wedding. And there she is in all her glory. My aunt in a whole knockoff- Fendi patterned hijab thingamabob. Basically, it was a veil attached to a dress with those long magician sleeves; the skirt was pleated with a poof in the back- all made from the knockoff Fendi pattern. It was insane. My aunt designed it herself. It was a huge FU to the brand for sure.
There’s my other aunt who took off her veil at her son’s wedding, tied it around her waist, and proceeded to belly dance. She said it was halal because her son was so ugly, she never imagined he would get married. She justified defying God by her son’s ugliness. There was another time when she yanked it off and slammed it into the ground because the guy at the stall tried to hustle her…
