Malaysian makeup artist Saraswati uses her hijab for cosplay looks. She uses the name @queenofluna on Instagram, where she has gained almost 400K followers.
From Ariel to Mulan, Saraswati has no problem incorporating her hijab into her incredible creations. And she’ll often share how she created the look in her captions
And it’s not just female characters she transforms into. She’s pulled off Scar from lion king, Jafar from Aladdin and the Joker from Batman.
It all started in 2013, when she cosplayed as Elsa from Frozen. After showing off her creation, she was swamped with requests from friends to recreate the look for them.
In an interview with MTV, she stated “I have never claimed to represent all the hijabis. I am just staying true to myself and doing what I’m passionate about.”
Since Saraswati started posting, hijab cosplay has caught on in a huge way. A recent cosplay show in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, saw many more cosplayers participate while wearing religious headwear.
Academics and religious figures have praised this growing trend of hijab cosplay. Rohayati Paidi, who lecturers at the University of Malaysia, said to Al Jazeera “Though it [cosplay] arrived in Malaysia 15 years ago, it was rare to find hijabi Muslim women at fan conventions. But there has been a shift in recent years as more embrace their ability to combine religious beliefs with cosplay culture.”
The hijab cosplayers have to embrace a range of techniques to remain within their religious boundaries, such as choosing characters that don’t reveal skin and hair. This means that most either dress as heavily clothed characters, or choose fabrics that match their skin color.
Recently, Malaysia even hosted its first event solely dedicated to hijab cosplay.
What a creative way to embrace your heritage!