Today we’d like to introduce you to Huda Fahmy.
Huda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
This all started when there was an open call for Muslim writers. I’ve always had a passion for writing, so I collected a few stories that chronicled my funny, sad and frustrating experiences as a Muslim woman, born and raised in America. These mostly humorous stories ranged from how it felt to be treated as a foreigner at first sight, to witnessing other “exotic looking” people being harassed and choosing to step in. So, I responded to the open call and sent my stories to several agents and publishers. Nobody thought it was worth publishing. One agent essentially told me that no one would care about my stories because I was not a public figure, and I would need to build a base if I ever wished to sell my stories. My older sister was the one who inspired me to turn my stories into comics and post them on Facebook. I eventually moved over to Instagram where the whole account just took off.
Yes, I’m Hot in This essentially came from a desire to see more visibly Muslim women in the mainstream. I want to see visibly Muslim women in comics, on TV, in cartoons, on stage doing stand-up. Hijabi women are usually portrayed as submissive, abused wives who are meek or brainwashed into extremism. We’re rarely seen as regular people doing regular things. We’re rarely seen as women who are interesting, funny, creative, smart, or unique and who just also happen to cover their hair and dress modestly. And, so, my comic was born.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel very much that God has made things easy for me. I am a very headstrong woman, and when I set my mind to something, I don’t let anything, short of an act of God, stop me. I wanted to publish stories, and that was very difficult. I was met with rejection after rejection. After I made the choice to turn to illustration, I began looking up how other webcomic illustrators honed their craft. I taught myself to use Adobe Illustrator. I read up on how to grow a social media following. As soon as I achieve a goal (like hitting 100K followers on Instagram in less than a year), I set new ones, harder ones. If I was to give you one struggle, it would be that it’s been difficult balancing motherhood, marriage and life as an illustrator. I am mild-mannered mom/wife by day and comic illustrator by night. It’s definitely a challenge.
Yes, I’m Hot in This – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Yes, I’m Hot in This started in March of 2017. I write and illustrate four to eight-panel webcomics that provide social commentary on what it’s like to live as a covered Muslim American woman. In one year, my Instagram account has grown to over 155K followers. I am so incredibly proud of the online community that has rallied around this message of unity in diversity. Yes, my comics make people laugh, but they also provide a springboard for respectful discussion. The online community engagement is truly inspiring.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment so far is getting to hear from my audience-people of all faiths – that I’ve inspired them to be more steadfast in practicing what they believe. Because of my comics, some people are finding the strength to not allow fear, ridicule or intimidation prevent them from proudly being who they are. And that’s a pretty amazing thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yesimhotinthis.com
- Email: yesimhotinthis@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/yesimhotinthis
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/yesimhotinthis
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/yesimhotinthis
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
