Today we’d like to introduce you to Fatim Traore.
Hi Fatim, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story starts in middle school where I got my hands on my first ever MacBook. I fell in love with iMovie. My school had a focus on the arts, so often times we’d have a video to create for our classes. I remember singing Let it Go in Spanish for my Spanish class, and making a video about the parts of a cell, where I was the membrane, for my science class. I remember using Keynote for class presentations and discovering all the different fonts, and discovering that I could download more of my own. I spent so much time exploring all the effects and animations—I was fascinated. I even made movie trailers with my neighbors, and YouTube videos featuring my American Girl dolls. Access to these applications fostered my love for creativity, video work, and design. These are still topics I’m passionate about and have played a large role in my passion for social media and content creation. While I am constantly posting myself on the internet now, it took a while for me to be comfortable enough to do so. To be honest, it’s taken years, but along this path I’ve gained confidence and a love for sharing my interests with others, and as an extension, sharing them with the world. The world is just so vast and it’s insane that it’s always available right at our fingertips! I’ve posted consistently on the internet for years now, mainly fashion and life style content, and my favorite aspect thus far has been all the connections and friendships it’s brought me. I’ve met life long friends that I’ve visited in cities like NYC, and LA! I also love seeing how other people express themselves. Instagram and TikTok are my favorite places to seek fashion inspiration, I just love seeing the diverse senses of fashion, and I love implementing aspects of their fashion into my own. While, I haven’t been able to post nearly as consistently as I used to, fashion and social media still mean the world to me.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Honestly, it has not been a smooth road. I found myself getting lost in the numbers, and as a result social media felt less like a passion and more like a job. The biases I’ve dealt with in real life I’ve had to deal with online, which can take the magic out of it. I’ve had to come with terms that just like I deal with systemic racism in real life, I deal with it on the internet. The reality is, I’ll have to work so much harder as a black hijabi. It has been difficult to accept this, but that doesn’t mean my content is any less valuable. There are still people that look at me for inspiration and that is more than I could have ever hoped for.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a graphic designer as well as a content creator. I mainly post modest fashion content that serves as inspiraiton for modern day hijabi’s and modest girlies. What sets me apart from others is my diverse sense of style. Some days I want to dress like a fairy princess, other days I prefer an alternative look. I think it’s important to explore different aesthetics and to not force yourself into a box. There are so many different things to try, and so many aesthetics to explore! Who am I to limit myself? I also love putting together collages of not only my outfits, but of my adventures! I just love sharing my creations with others.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
They can email me at simplyfatim01@gmail.com, or they can dm me on my Instagram (simply.fatim) or TikTok (simplyfatim).
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simply.fatim/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@simplyfatim/videos
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@simplyfatim
