MuslimGirl x Getty Images NYFW SS24: Celebrating the 1st Muslim-Women-Led Stock Photo Collection
As we reflect on the amount of significant traction we could amass from the beginning of the year till this present moment when we’re almost wrapping up Q3 of 2023, our MuslimGirl Founder Amani and MuslimGirl Photo Director Shirley Yu hosted an exclusive fireside chat on September 13 in Getty Images HQ.
Brought to you by MuslimGirl x Getty Images in the spirit of New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2024, we had the pleasure of bringing together phenomenal creators, high-level speakers, and numero-uno media titans who help us reconceptualize “Beauty Inclusivity in Stock Photography.”
In partnership with the second-to-none Project #ShowUs, the MuslimGirl x Getty Images Stock Photography Collection is taking Muslim women’s representation above and beyond the scope of what we once knew was possible for our Muslim-women-owned and -led movement and digital media outlet.
The MuslimGirl x Getty Images Main Drive & Motive
As we know, Muslim women of this day and age mostly grew up in a world that surmised that being a Muslim woman delineated a whole enchilada of victimization, oppression and oriental exoticism.
“Very early on, whenever I was giving a speaking engagement, one of the things that I’d always do is I would invite the audience to take up their phones, open up Google image search, and type in ‘Muslim woman,’” Amani said during the MuslimGirl x Getty Images exclusive event in Manhattan. “And at that time, it was a unanimous, hundreds of pages across Google Images that showed the same image of a Muslim woman over and over again, where we looked victimized, we looked depressed, and we were hidden behind the same black face veils.”
It’s always other people speaking for us. So yeah, we’d better be overrepresenting ourselves and the images that we’re putting out there ourselves because we’re being talked about at that caliber.
— Amani, MuslimGirl x Getty Images, NYFW SS24
With such unhinged misrepresentation came the unwavering clamor that ushered Amani’s initiatives in the direction of rolling up the first-ever stock photo collection to represent Muslim women the way they actually carry themselves in real life.
“I wanted to see more pictures that look like me and my girlfriends — that look like the Muslim women that we all know and love, you know; not this figment of our imagination of what we think Muslim women do look like or how they act,” Amani added.
The MuslimGirl Stock Photography’s Coming of Age
First celebrated in 2017, the MuslimGirl x Getty Images collaboration has surely gained ground and made massive strides over the past years in presenting accurate stock media stills of Muslim women from all backgrounds and milieus. But getting to where we are today was none other than formidable.
“When we were putting together the brand visuals, and when we were putting together the first iteration of this image library collection, and we were starting it from day one, I asked you, ‘How do you want Muslim women to be shown from your perspective?’” Shirley reflected on the first-ever, authentic photo shoot featuring Muslim women.
Those collections have also evolved beyond the first one that was about friends and hanging out. We’ve gone through life, into work, into family, into fitness as we’ve grown the scope of stories that we are able to tell beyond just that.
— Shirley, MuslimGirl x Getty Images, NYFW SS24
Around that time, Shirley’s question to Amani struck the nail on the head. First and foremost, at that moment in particular, the future of Muslim women’s representation and inclusivity in stock images and media stills lied in their hands; as they were about to get into the then-new realm of visual storytelling in the post-9/11 era.
“We are overrepresented in a lot of the wrong ways. And I can absolutely speak to that as a Muslim woman. Muslims especially are overrepresented in news stories and inaccurate headlines; in the way that we’re talked about constantly in the news cycle, but we are never the ones that are leading those conversations,” Amani clarified to participants.
In essence, it was a moment of revelation that necessitated bravery and resolve — given the overarching stereotypical visual narratives saturating newsfeeds at that time.
“It’s always other people speaking for us. So yeah, we’d better be overrepresenting ourselves and the images that we’re putting out there ourselves because we’re being talked about at that caliber,” Amani continued.
All of the collections are shot by Muslim women photographers. All the models are Muslim women. […] The ones that are photographed wearing a headscarf actually wear them in real life. […] The ones that aren’t wearing them don’t. And we didn’t ask anyone to put on a front or a show. We didn’t put anyone in a scenario that they wouldn’t typically live.
— Amani, MuslimGirl x Getty Images, NYFW SS24
The first photo shoot was about capturing the vibrant moments that Muslim women and girls typically live on a daily basis. Little by little, MuslimGirl shifted to portray more intimate moments and events that reflect the shared reality of Muslim women and girls from all walks of life.
“Those collections have also evolved beyond the first one that was about friends and hanging out,” Shirley continued. “We’ve gone through life, into work, into family, into fitness as we’ve grown the scope of stories that we are able to tell beyond just that.”
Altering the Visual Stereotypical Depiction of Muslim Women Worldwide
One of the main highlights of the MuslimGirl x Getty Images event was explaining to everyone that bringing authentic visuals out to the world wasn’t just about taking pictures of Muslim girls and women.
Amani explained the reasons MuslimGirl’s stock photo collection is real, “We really just wanted to photograph us doing the things that we do. And I think that is so important and really destroying a lot of the stereotypes that are propped up about who we are.”
If anything, every image had its own theme and purpose. What’s more, those projects were brought up to the world through the collective work of Muslim women.
“All of the collections are shot by Muslim women photographers. All the models are Muslim women. They actually identify as Muslim women. The ones that are photographed wearing a headscarf actually wear them in real life. They’re not playing dress-up. The ones that aren’t wearing them don’t. And we didn’t ask anyone to put on a front or a show. We didn’t put anyone in a scenario that they wouldn’t typically live.”
Expanding the Scope of the MuslimGirl x Getty Images Allyship in the Post-9/11 Era
Dismantling the stereotypical stories about how Muslim women behave or look isn’t over. Stay tapped in because the real work has just begun. We’re expanding exponentially into yet-uncharted territories and domains within Muslim communities, according to our founder, Amani.
“We are creating another new shoot that we’re adding onto this collection. So we are now going to enter into the process of selecting the next photographer to be featured in the MuslimGirl x Getty Images collection, and then sourcing the next cast of models that we get to feature in this. And each shoot has its own theme.”
How to Get Involved in Empowering More Muslim Women Across the Globe
With so many authentic stock photo collections that are yet to be added to Getty Images’ Project #ShowUs repository, we encourage you to stay tapped into our conversations and updates. Share Muslim women creators and amplify their stories to bring their unique strengths to the table.
It’s always been time to show the world all-inclusive visual depictions that deconstruct far-reaching, baseless stereotypes.