00:00I love trying out new looks. I'm all about contour, but I've definitely made the mistake of
00:13going a little too crazy. I was born in a place called Kakuma, which is actually one of the
00:21largest refugee camps in Kenya. My background couldn't be more far from fashion and the
00:27glamorous lifestyle. So I was the first Muslim model to grace the covers of fashion publications.
00:36I was the first to be on the runway wearing a hijab. As a black kid in Africa, you don't
00:44process a lot about you and the ideas that are sold to you. Just growing up and realizing
00:49that you're wrong, anything that you have is bad. Your hair is nappy. Why do I feel the
00:54obligation to wear wigs every day, day in, day out? Like, I cannot do without wigs every
00:57day. Slap that lace front on and then even if I take my lace front off, I feel like I just
01:03removed my beauty. That's why I'm happy with where we are now. And the most important thing
01:07about where we are now is that we can have these conversations and we can have them openly
01:12because by doing this, we're paving a way for the new generation. Beauty is very fluid. And
01:19you know, I think beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it can be anything you want
01:23it to be. It's experimental. You play around and you see what works best with your features.
01:29And so for me, I'm slowly like embracing being a little bit more open minded. I think the biggest
01:37misconception is that it's all about vanity and nothing else. And I think there's beauty
01:42with purpose, that it's okay to be unique. It's okay to be different, but you should
01:46still love yourself unapologetically. And you should be proud of who you are and where
01:51you come from. Self-care starts with self-acceptance, which starts with seeing examples of beauty that
01:57represent your own. And so to be that role model for young Muslim girls in my community who
02:03wear the hijab, it's just been a dream come true. How much did your own experience shape
02:09in your line? I think my brain was therapy for me. It was a cathartic expression. I want
02:14to block women to reconnect with the ancestors and the story and the history and see it in
02:18its most beautiful way. I just want everybody to understand that the world is beautiful because
02:23we're different. And that's what excites me about this range that I have just launched
02:28with Walmart exclusively called Oma by Sharon C. It's so personal to me. I put my name on it.
02:34The first two years of my career, I had complete control over my image. It was a partnership where
02:42I got to have a say in how my hijab was styled. And then the last two years of my career, I let
02:47the team on set style me. It got to a place where fashion was clashing with my values. I stepped back
02:55and I quit. How do you practice self-love? Loving myself means expressing myself as me
03:02unapologetically every single day. It's just been transformational for me, like stepping into that
03:08place where I'm now so comfortably in my skin and everything else disappears. You will unleash powers
03:15in yourself that you didn't even know existed. And you will feel in the end unstoppable, which will
03:22make you become unstoppable. I find that when I have a good skin care regimen, turmeric, honey,
03:29aloe vera, you have this beautiful, naturally vibrant skin. And you don't have to play around
03:35with makeup as much because you're not hiding anything. You're accentuating what's already
03:39underneath. And also working on my mental health because when you feel your best, you look your best.
03:45Something I always say is being the first is not easy, but it's so necessary. You take the bruises
03:54and bumps and make it easier for the next generation of young girls. Don't change yourself,
03:59change the game. You've inspired a lot of women. What advice do you have to the young girl that's,
04:07you know, tuning in and watching this? I mean, we're now in a world where quite literally being
04:12yourself is the ultimate rebellion. Don't expect people are going to always embrace you for being
04:16yourself, you know? Trust the process. Everything that happens to you is by design.
04:22I think it's all part of that process of self-love and self-respect when you own your identity proudly.
04:30So in a world that's constantly changing, I think the best thing you can do is remain you.
04:35Just having a conversation with somebody like Sharon who is an industry expert reaffirmed some of my
04:43beliefs. So I will be continuing to use my platform to, you know, speak on inclusion and representing
04:50my community and especially young Muslim girls who wear the hijab and think that they can't do
04:55something or enter a space. I want to take time to step away, to focus on myself, to recenter and come back
05:05stronger than ever. That's how I feel the most beautiful.
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