Immigrants and refugees from over 60 different countries live in the diverse cornucopia of City Heights, over half of who are under the age of 35. Over 18,000 people live within each square mile of the city. With such a dense, international population, local youth are faced with the unique challenge of integrating their traditional culture and background with youth-directed popular culture to create their identity.
“Even now, within pop culture and YouTube there’s more Hijabi vloggers,” said Najmo Abdi, 18-year-old San Diego-born Somali youth. “I feel like that’s really important for Muslim girls because we can mimic how they dress and see how (vloggers) are styling their turban, the hijab, with different colors and stuff.” Abdi, representing a bold, young and new generation of Muslim women, likes to show her individuality and style through her passion for makeup and fashion, while still embracing her cultural background.