MADONNA, MARKLE, AND MICRO INFLUENCERS: HOW FAITH, FASHION AND DIVERSITY CAN MIX
Image courtesy of Viviane Saleh
Fashion and faith have crossed paths since ancient days of old. Royal priests have clothed themselves in deep purple, signifying their status with glorious shades that only royalty could obtain.
Fashion blogger and micro influencer Viviane Saleh, is a Middle Eastern brown-eyed beauty. Hailing originally from Egypt, she’s one of those girls who can light up a room with her warm and contagious smile.
“Proverbs 31 speaks of the super woman who does it all,” says Saleh. “For the longest time I thought that I needed to imitate this woman in all the details of her life. But over time, I began to see her as an inspiration…I can learn a lot from her qualities and do my best to attain them in my own personal life. And that is what I hope Jolie and Grace inspires others to do.”
Her blog, which carries a touch of traditional Egyptian flare, accentuates a care-free and appealing style. Saleh, who believes we should encourage more diversity through models, beauty, and fashion, says that we could support those looking into the industry by flooding their social platforms with engagement.
“Buying from them, supporting their small businesses…behind every successful brand is their dedicated and engaged following and supporters who believe in their brand. I think the more we voice our support for diverse brands, the bigger the stage gets for them to prosper and grow.”
Saleh also shares a few gems about spirituality and how she believes faith can play into fashion.
“Jolie and Grace are the middle names of my two lovely daughters. I was inspired to begin this blog because not only do I have a love for fashion and beauty, I also have a love for God,” she says. “Sometimes people mistaken the love for fashion and beauty as being vain—and there is no room for being vain in religion. So I wanted to start this blog to show that it is okay to be a religious woman and still have a love of looking and feeling your best. I want women to know there’s nothing vain about wanting to look and feel good about yourself.”
So perhaps faith really can mesh with fashion.
“I think there could be a misconception that fashion is unattainable, full of expensive brands or items that most of us cannot afford,” says Saleh. “Bringing in faith allows for relevance, humility and balance. Fashion can be affordable, attainable and it doesn’t have to be vain. For me personally, faith helps to focus in on the big picture. I like clothes and dressing up nicely, but at the end of the day, if I don’t “put on love”, does it all have a purpose in the end? Faith helps me keep my purpose in fashion and other areas in my life.”
A well-known beauty making her mark in the industry, is the ever-glowing and radiant Halima Aden. The model, who is Somali American, is known for being the first-ever woman to wear a hijab in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant. She’s now gracing the covers of magazines like Allure and hanging out with the likes of Gigi Hadid. In an interview with Allure she says that, “Society puts so much pressure on girls to look a certain way,” says Aden. “I have much more to offer than my physical appearance, and a hijab protects me against ‘You’re too skinny,’ ‘You’re too thick,’ ‘Look at her hips,’ ‘Look at her thigh gap.’ I don’t have to worry about that.”
Another American breaking down the diversity wall is actress Meghan Markle. When asked if the now-Duchess, along with Prince Harry could possibly act as symbols of change for race relations, Saleh says, “their wedding is the start of good changes to come. Definitely a symbol for acceptance, and breaking down barriers of judgments.”
The themes of faith and fashion have been dominating the red carpet during the 2018 Met Gala, with a plethora of inspiration for many. And the looks were stunning. Take into account Blake Lively, who turned up in an angelic Atelier Versace crimson red and gold detailed gown. Or Tessa Thompson, who wore a priest-collared choker band necklace. Marjorie Harvey stuck with the Italian Dolce&Gabbana theme, echoing stained glass windows and jewel crosses, and Cardi B’s pearl-scattered dress was inspired by her faith, as she says during an interview with VOGUE: “I told Jeremy I wanted to be very Catholic, I’m Catholic, and then he just took it from there. I saw one sketch and I was like, I love it.”
Selena Gomez, who was inspired by the Biblical heroine Queen Esther, donned a coach embellished bag with a handwritten note embossed delicately on the side: “A woman who fears the Lord is a woman who shall be praised.”
From Madonna’s crown and fish-net inspired face veil, to Jennifer Lopez’s Balmain-body accentuating cross, the religion-plus-fashion theme reigned.
Not to mention Kim Kardashian West, who was seen in a dazzling golden glitter ensemble. In a VOGUE article speaking about how she was a student only allowed to wear makeup on weekends, West says, “We don’t share it much, but we’re really religious. We start our day with a group chat with a Bible verse from my mom, and everyone chimes in on the meaning of it.” So faith and fashion must play a role in the lives of even the Kardashian dynasty. After all, her sons’ name is, well, Saint.
Miriam John is a makeup enthusiast and micro influencer from India. Faith plays a big part in her culture and she lets this shine throughout her work.
“I’m from Bangalore, I really do love NYX,” says John. “My favourite colours are Budapest—a deep mauve red undertone, and Vancouver, a soft matte purple. I don’t really remember what inspired me, but I think there was this time when I would just go on YouTube and I watch different makeup artists.”
When asked what her thoughts were on this years’ diverse royal wedding she says, “Every person is different and every person is so unique. Each individual can bring out something amazing in whatever they’re good at. I think they could be a symbol of change for whatever they’re called to do.”
She continues to speak about the beauty of mixing it up a little.
“There could be five people in a group—a great singer, and a singer who’s not really that great, but still sounds beautiful. Put them together, and let them sings, and they could sound magical. Every person is unique, every person is blessed, and every person is a masterpiece,” says John.
And as Saleh says, “It isn’t about seeking out perfection, but seeking the best version of ourselves, however different that looks for everyone.”
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