So before I tried wearing hijab I wear very baggy jeans and baggy shirts that are comfortable and loose covering. My shape was not very visible (I've had a thing about that since I was a little girl, always hated tight clothing, even clothing people wouldn't normally consider tight) but you could see some slight shape as it was inevitable and very minimal. So, for hijab I wore longer sleeves and a headscarf that also covered my chest area and a head band that kept my hair pulled back tightly. All my clothes and my head scarves are plain and lighter pastel colours or darker earthy colours. The exception is orange, I just like orange, dunno why. I do not wear make-up (never have) I don't shave or pluck (never have) and I have thick eyebrows and some shadow of hair above my upper lip, I don't wear perfume (never have) and stopped wearing deodorant years ago.
Before hijab: I hardly ever got any male attention and when I did it was either necessary, such as at university where I'd ask advice from professors or have to work in a group, or outside where I live which is a low income area and many of the men are very shallow and comment pretty much every woman they pass by on their looks and nothing else. I always got the negative comments about how ugly I looked. It was brief and purely to express their disinterest so I was always left alone by men.
After hijab: First of all I noticed how more people were looking at me. Second I noticed compliments on how I looked, something I never expected and have never had before. When it was from the sisters I figured they were just trying to be nice and help me to feel more comfortable wearing hijab. But then I started to get "checked out" by guys too, and I do not like this at all! I get told I look pretty and cute.
Honestly how can this be? I thought the hijab was to prevent attention, but suddenly I'm getting attention! I don't like this. And it's the main reason I prefer now not to wear it unless I'm learning or taking part in the prayers.
What am I doing wrong? Why is hijab drawing more attention to me now than before I used to wear it?
Before hijab: I hardly ever got any male attention and when I did it was either necessary, such as at university where I'd ask advice from professors or have to work in a group, or outside where I live which is a low income area and many of the men are very shallow and comment pretty much every woman they pass by on their looks and nothing else. I always got the negative comments about how ugly I looked. It was brief and purely to express their disinterest so I was always left alone by men.
After hijab: First of all I noticed how more people were looking at me. Second I noticed compliments on how I looked, something I never expected and have never had before. When it was from the sisters I figured they were just trying to be nice and help me to feel more comfortable wearing hijab. But then I started to get "checked out" by guys too, and I do not like this at all! I get told I look pretty and cute.
Honestly how can this be? I thought the hijab was to prevent attention, but suddenly I'm getting attention! I don't like this. And it's the main reason I prefer now not to wear it unless I'm learning or taking part in the prayers.
What am I doing wrong? Why is hijab drawing more attention to me now than before I used to wear it?
You're not doing anything wrong. I agree with Abdullahi.
