They rejected “the real me.” I don’t know if you also write about those who lost the struggle, but today I am one of them. My name does not belong to me, neither the life I live nor the appearance I have. I am 22,…
I grew up in a conservative family. On the summer vacation of my 15th year, my father said, “All your friends are veiled, when will you veil?” Just one sentence, he said nothing else. Consequently, I veiled the next day. Nobody would force me if…
It was staggering to see that a platform like this exists and how many women experienced it. I was touched. I thought we were the minority, if not alone. Let me tell you my story, but it was not a success, and it couldn’t finish.…
Hello. I’m a woman who has her hair covered for 15 years. I grew up in a conservative family. Even though no one from my family pressured me, one day, I thought about an outfit that my grandmother once gave me, “This is for covered…
My story is a bit complicated. I think I’ve been wronged, and I’m thankful for it. It’s because even if it took years away from me and stole the good things I might have lived, there are some good things I learned as well. There…
Last night, I realized so much. If I were to summarize it in one sentence, I realized that my father considered me worthless. I resisted this thought; I tried a lot to think otherwise, but, in the end, I couldn’t make him love me. I…
Unlike most women here, my problem is not about being covered or uncovered. I grew up in a seemingly civilized, non-conservative environment with strong social relations when looking from outside. My mother doesn’t wear a headscarf, but she does her prayers, as she always used…
Hello, I’m writing at 05:30 in the morning, I hope I’m not bothering you. Let me cut it short and talk about my problem. I’m 15 years old. Last year, I was forced by my father to get in the hijab. This process began in…
I’m 19 years old; I was 14 when I started wearing a headscarf and 7 when I was told I should do my prayers. I remember my first prayers clearly. The eagerly performed prayers with my sister and the happiness when our mother gifted us…
Hello there. I am 23 years old, I graduated from the university and can stand on my own feet, gained financial power. When I saw people like me here and read what they shared, I wanted to write. I grew up in a partly conservative…
First, I’d like to clarify this; it might take some time to tell my story that I’ve been keeping to myself for a long time, so; pardon me. My family is conservative, too, just like the rest of the families in the other letters. They…
Every time I fell, I stood up, holding on to these ideas. My story is similar to so many others written here. Similar pains, alike families… I find myself in most of the stories here. I wish we were not talking or writing these. Before…
Hi, I also want to tell my story. I’m 15 years old. Where I live, people are extremely conservative and homophobic. When I was six, my sister reacted to the cartoon I watched as “this is a boys cartoon.” I was always mature for my…
I don’t know. I really don’t know how to start my life’s story. My story is not a salvation story. It’s a story of a little girl’s dreams shattered with a hammer. That girl never had the chance to collect pieces of her dreams. She…
Whenever I feel bad, you are the first thing that comes to my mind. I was physically alone, but I had close friends whom I’ve never seen, that I whispered my secrets to, sometimes felt closer than myself that are kilometers away. My only purpose…
I write to encourage others. Like everyone else, I grew up in a conservative family. Even though I did not experience any pressure to wear a headscarf, I had a lot of pressure on a disguise. University is over, and I started working life. When…
Nine years… I don’t know where to start. Let me put it this way. I began to wear the hijab when I was eight years old because my older sister and my mother were with the hijab, then I regretted it. When I brought up…
What I see in the mirror makes me unhappy. Unfortunately, what I’m going to write is not a success story. I’m 20 years old, and I’ve already left behind perhaps the most beautiful and crazy years of adolescence that I could have spent in my…
Hello. Earlier, I sent another letter here before, and when I sent that letter, I thought that there is no way out; I was torturing myself with my thoughts. But I understood that it is not hard to achieve that if I believe in myself,…
Hello, I’m a 17 years old high school senior. Like everyone, who shared their stories here, I covered my hair without thinking ahead. I was only 9 when first covered my hair; it was the summer break of 4th grade I remember. My mother…
Hello. Whoever you are, I want to tell you about myself today because I have many things that are not disclosed. If you feel close to me, I will be happy to have a heart-to-heart talk with you, so please mention it in the comments.…
Hello, first of all, I must say that I grew up in a wonderful family, far from all the coercion and oppression. My family is like a carpet with many different colours and patterns. My mom and dad are people who have different political views…
Browsing this site can mean many things. It may be to wonder others’ stories, find a piece of yourself, and hate, but to wonder. I used to stand silently and read one by one to reach my inner world in others’ stories, or with the…
I haven’t opened this subject to anyone before; I lived whatever I wanted, without consulting anyone, but now I intend to convey something to the people here. My father’s family was very oppressive and all the girls in his family are wearing a headscarf. I…
I began questioning my life. Everything and everyone in my life. Maybe, I was afraid that they will judge me if I don’t wear headscarf. I’m angry at myself for wasting the best times of my life unhappy and in desperation, and for making such…
I was going to an Imam Hatip School1 when I was in middle school, which was the only reason I wore a headscarf. I was influenced by the people I met there. I covered my hair for the first time when I was in the…
Hi! I am 17, and I am wearing my headscarf because of my family’s insistence. After I finished the 8th grade, they started to tell me that I should wear a headscarf. Since there was too much pressure on me, I said that I would…
Hello everyone! Actually, my story goes back to my childhood like most people here. My father is a devout muslim, so much that he reads Quran, performs salat in his free time. My mother only performs the mandatory religious duties and is a more optimistic…
Hello, I saw your page from a comment on YouTube. I’ve read many of your posts. In fact, there are many people whose story is similar to me. In my story, now I want you to help me and guide me. I saw a headscarf…
Hello. I don’t remember how I discovered this website; it has been a long time and I forgot its existence. Tonight, I was into my inner thoughts, hoping to find some encouragement, but suddenly I felt the urge to pour out. Hello once again to…
Hello. I don’t know how I should begin. First, I want to state that, you have been a light of hope to me. I was speechless most of the time I read the stories. There were many stories like mine, but I wanted to write…
Are this society and this mentality hostile to the female body that I have, or is it an enemy to me? Hello to everyone. Let me start by introducing myself. I am a 20-year-old, alive, and kicking young girl with high energy. I experienced an…
Hello, I also want to write my story. I am 19 years old and I obviously have a conservative family. My twin and I knew that we would get into hijab one day. Ever since we were little, we went to Quran courses. We decided…
Hello, I wanted to write too. Maybe you will help encouraging me. I’m 20 years old. I’ve been a hijabi for about four years. I made my decision in the summer holiday of 10th grade. Obviously, this decision was not suitable for me, I am…
I’m writing this for my family. I’m upset. You see this but don’t care because you know that my happiness will bother you. I know that I make you feel uncomfortable, but you don’t have any idea that your pressure on me makes me disgusted…
Hello, I am a 17-year-old high school senior. It all started when I was 11 years old. I had passed the 5th grade and had finished primary school. I had to choose a secondary school. My family did not force me on this. I went…
Hello. I didn’t think of writing here before I lost all hope. Maybe it would be more enjoyable to read a girl’s letter who thinks that she will achieve everything she wants but I’m sorry. They made me give up all my hope and I…
I’ve been thinking about how to write for a long time, eventually I decided to write whatever comes to my mind. 3 years ago, I became a hijabi willingly, but I started to feel uncomfortable after a while. I started questioning if I really wanted…
Excuse my spelling errors, I’m a foreigner who learned Turkish and I might have written incoherently. I want to tell my own veiling and unveiling story on this website. I’m the daughter of a religious family and I’m a senior at college. I’m 23. There…
I explained to them how I wanted to take off my hijab. 3 times, politely, I even sobbed and cried in their presence. “It upsets me dad.” I told him. “Doesn’t matter. It’s more important that you cover yourself.” he told me. I realized then…
My family told me “You can’t take your hijab off, all our relatives wear it!”. I was sent to a Religious Middle School & High School. I didn’t want to. Every summer I was sent to a Qur’an courses, also against my will. Those around…
“Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.” The above quote is from Maya Angelou, who always cheers me up with her “Come on, take action!” punchlines; I wanted to begin on a hopeful note. Each person is a…
Hello. I’m sorry that I don’t have the courage to tell you my name. I think this place is full of people like me who can’t live their own lives, who have to live in a way that others dictate. I never wanted to wear…
I’m only 16 years old but I wanted to write to you because my story feels similar. I’ve been forbidden from having any contact with boys since I was 4 or 5. If I were to hold a boy’s hand, I’d be accused of harlotry…
Hi there, there is no way out in my story. I shouldn’t be pessimistic about my situation, but I don’t know what to do either. When I was only 4 years old my parents sent me to special daycares where they would teach religious doctrines.…
Hi. I am writing because, you know what, everything that connects me to life flew away one by one. I am someone who has been to religious boarding schools since age of 6 and who had been made to wear headscarf- even before getting my…
Hi. I was watching a YouTube video about unveiling and someone recommended me this platform. I didn’t realize before that there were so many people sharing the same story. It was the summer of 5th grade that I decided to cover my hair at an…
Hi, I am 28 years old and I took my headscarf off 2 years ago. My veiling story has begun after I had my child. I got married, by my choice, when I was 18. Don’t be mad that I got married at an early…
Hello everyone. Writing here was not in my mind, but after I saw the posts, I wanted to write, as well. I became a hijabi in 8th grade with my own will. It was allowed to wear hijab in my school, for that reason, I…
Hello, I’ve been following this site for a long time, but I couldn’t find the strength to write these. But now I can write because I believe that I can’t feel any worse than this. I was born into a Muslim family. When I was…
This is a platform I’ve been following for almost two years. This is a platform I sometimes enter for crying and sometimes for being filled with hope. In 2 years, I saw how my closest ones could hurt me. I’ve been excluded from my family…
I had written here two years ago. I was 17. First time in years, I have done something for myself: I took my hijab off despite all those oppression. When no one has gone through the same things you are going through, you feel alone…
This is a letter of struggle. I come from a family that thinks they are religious. I always resisted their hijab coercions, but when I entered the university, my father said, “Either you become a hijabi, or you are not going.” I resisted so much,…
I’m the first child of the house and I have two brothers. Ever since I was little, my relationship with my mother was never good. I would always say that she loves me, but she doesn’t show it; it was hard for me to face…
I’m a 20-year-old college student. Under pressure from my parents, I wore hijab the day I started high school, and I have lost my own identity since. I’m not myself anymore. I did not wear hijab for God’s sake for once in five years. My…
I discovered this platform about a year ago. It was around the time I was searching for people to share my emotions with as I was looking for a way out from the suffocation of this hijab during my preparations for the university entrance exam.…
Hello, I accidentally discovered your website today, and as I read what people who are so much like me went through, I spent the whole day reading your website. I’ve been reading since yesterday. I’m really glad that you are so supportive of each other.…
Can you hear the wind? It approaches calmly and silently. My eyelids are starting to open; my numb and dry glances hit against the damp and wet walls… I lift my head, unaware of anything. Every mirror I show my face breaks, I stand up…
Hi, my story is like many of yours. Throughout my childhood, sometimes my father and sometimes my uncle put a veil on my head, and they imposed this idea on me by saying “How beautiful you are in hijab”. My mother always pressured me by…
To live, according to what or who? Our thoughts are the biggest thing that makes us who we are. If we had no thoughts, there wouldn’t be any difference between us and animals. Also, if we do things that other people force us to do,…
Hello there. I’ve read almost all of the letters posted on this page and now I regret a little bit for being in a dilemma about whether to write or not. I’m 17 years old now, third year of high school. I’ve been wearing a…
Hello everyone. I don’t know where to start, there are so many things that have accumulated inside me. I would always love to explain these to someone or write them somewhere, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any sister or a friend that I can feel…
Hi. I just discovered this platform and I really liked it. First, I’d like to talk about why I wore the hijab and my current state of belief. I went to Imam Hatip (religious school) in middle school with my own will. My friends were…
I’m 18 years old. I met with the headscarf when I was in 5th grade, and at that time, I was 11 years old. According to Islam, individuals who are not in puberty are not responsible for the religious requirements. As an 11-year-old child, I…
Hello. I think my story has a dramatic start and a happy ending. At least, I hope it is. I have a family that can be considered conservative in its own right. I veiled at a very young age. This was the whole circle of…
I did not read most of the letters on your website, I know you from the articles of Büşra Cebeci. I did not read the articles because they push me to despair. Other women have faced such difficult situations. Some got what they wanted, but…
I grew up in a very conservative family as a girl with 5 brothers. When I finished secondary school, they brought a headscarf requirement to go to high school, and I had to accept it. When high school was over, they told me that I…
Hello, unlike many others who wrote here, I will not make certain statements because, even I don’t know what I want to do. I was going to an imam hatip high school which is a religious school, and I started to get lower grades through…
The pressure that started verbally in primary school increased even more when my father hit me in 6th grade and forced me to wear the hijab. From the first day, I wear the hijab, my self-confidence was destroyed, I did not want to go anywhere,…
Even though I cried and said I did not want it when I entered adolescence, my family forced me to cover my hair saying: ‘’This is Allah’s order, you will burn in hell if you don’t obey.’’ Since then, I have turned into an unhappy…
A father who does not even think of sending his children to primary school, almost every person around him, is a religious educator. Fortunately, I was able to go to primary school. At that time, my mother was utterly on my father’s side. I was…
Hello, how are you? I came here to talk about myself, because people like us don’t have much chance, you know. Right now, I am in 9th grade. In 5th grade I started to wear the hijab with my own will (!) without knowing what…
Hello. I am 21 years old woman going to the university and trying to stand on my own feet. I am the oldest child of a family from the Southeast and their only daughter. I want to start with my father, who made my childhood…
I am 36 years old, I went to high school in Anatolian Imam Hatip High School1. I learned both critical thinking and good English there. On the other hand, I learned that my voice was forbidden to men. I was a sinner because I was…
I grew up in a conservative, well-known family. A kindergarten that raises religious, Qur’an courses that go every summer from primary school 1, weekly evening conversations in secondary school… I grew up with a classical conservative child raising method. I always knew I was going…
I already sent a letter that tells my story. Comments were saying that I’m lying about what I said. Interesting, isn’t it? I’m writing about my life here. Those who force their daughters to wear a headscarf try and treat me like the things I…
As someone tired of expressing her thoughts only to herself, I want to talk openly here. Although I am wearing a headscarf, I don’t define myself as a veiled woman; my style and makeup don’t comply with the Islamic understanding of a veiled woman. My…
The headscarf is a cultural symbol imposed by men rather than religion on our land. I had been thinking of taking it off for 3 years. Yet, because of social pressure, I kept distracting myself, “Maybe you think wrongly, try to love.” I did not…
I voluntarily covered my hair at high school. I wanted to take my headscarf off two weeks after that, but I was afraid of public pressure. I was worried about what my friends would say. I said to myself, “I will uncover my hair again…
I’m the daughter of a conservative family. I was brought up with religious teachings; of course, it felt like it was the only truth at the time because you don’t see anything different. I was veiled in high school due to my own will, my…
Hello, It still feels weird to be writing on this platform; it feels like a dream, although it isn’t. Before I started high school, I began to wear a hijab entirely voluntarily. I didn’t think there was something wrong about it as everyone around me…