Cultural appropriation?

[aven1861]

Hi! This might seem like a weird question to ask but I'm not sure where else to go. I have pretty bad GAD and I often feel really nervous when my head and shoulders are not covered. Yesterday I was watching youtube and I saw a cool video about a university inviting passers-by to try on hijabs. I thought it look cool so tried one on and did some research into hijab history. Wearing it I felt super calm and safe. My nervous shivers stopped which is super rare. I took it off because I felt really bad wearing a hijab-style head warp because I am white and am not religious. I really don't want to do the wrong thing because the hijab is important to Muslim people and I am not Muslim. Is it wrong if I wear a headwrap and/or a similar thing?

Sorry if this is a weird or offensive question.

[Sofi]

Hi! First off I want to acknowledge that you're taking the time to respectfully ask and make sure your actions won't be offensive and that's important. As a person of color, I appreciate you checking before doing something that might be appropriation. In this case, yes, a hijab-style head wrap would be appropriation and truly, any similar head wrap is going to be part of a different culture and therefore also would be appropriation. That being said, there are other options you can consider for head and shoulder coverings! For example, I know people who like to wear an oversized hoodie where they can (you can't do it everywhere because of dress codes) as it makes them feel safe, and in those places or occasions where you can't (often work, school, etc) you can try a hat with a shawl or veil! This could let you have some fun with different fashion trends, too, while sticking to clothing that doesn't belong to someone else's culture and won't offend anyone. <3

[aven1861]

Hi! Thanks for responding so quickly What you said totally makes sense. I have got a really lightweight hoodie for school so I can still hear. Thanks for you help I really hope I wasn't rude

[Sofi]

That sounds perfect! You're welcome.