This is a guest post by H�dia Charni of Girlz In Web, The NextWomen?s media partner in France. You can read the original article in French here.
By chance when browsing the web, I was pleased to come across these two sisters�full of�boundless�positivity and�readily shared smiles. I wanted to know more about these women who have left everything to become web entrepreneurs. This interview is in no way proselytizing; these women are first and foremost business leaders and also our readers. I wanted to share with you their testimony, vision and feedback.
Can you present yourselves and�summarise your career paths?
Khadija, 30 years old, I graduated in political sciences and urban planning. I worked for a year in the planning profession after I graduated, specializing in urban regeneration.��
Mariame, 23 years, I've always been a student (I've had�to have one or two student jobs). I took a double degree in economics/management and sociology and I started an MA in economics. I finally quit the university�so that I could fully explore�the adventure of�Hijab and The City (I wanted to do some�research and it proved difficult to do this as well as an MA).
When and why was Hijab and The City born?
We started with the blog, launched in May 2008 and aimed at French women of Muslim culture, a group�hitherto ignored by the press and the female blogosphere. It quickly became a participative women's webzine, a forum for these women who are much talked about but are never given the floor, a forum that expresses a diversity of views as there is not�just one singular�Muslim woman but a plurality of different motivations and personalities, which are reflected on this website of their daily lives, their way of living their femininity and their attempt to strip�themselves of the stigma attached to them, not just as women, but also as believers.��
Can you introduce�Hijab and The City?
Since its inception the site has evolved, following the daily needs of our readers, who are as concerned for their spiritual development as the latest fashion trends. We meet with our readers often and�listen to them daily, and try to meet the needs they express in their comments in the forums on our social network pages, or in the surveys we conduct with them. What they want: to communicate, debate, shop, have fun, party. In a word: to live. So Hijab and The City is a great club of girlfriends (and guy�friends too!), members who read and�discuss, enjoy shopping trips and outings, and meet at brunches / evenings we organize regularly. A beautiful and rich web community, one of a kind!
What are the themes? Is this a site reserved for the veiled Muslim woman?
The site talks about everything in a light and frivolous manner, rather than serious and grave. No material is formatted or sanitized, it is intended that this online magazine is alive, to be contributed to and read. This is how we designed it and this is how it works. We were joined by other women from diverse cultural, religious, social and economic backgrounds. So it seemed like a winning bet, because we aim to build bridges and discussions with the media, especially women. To touch upon the site name, it was intended only to announce our colour once and for all: we (the two founders) are veiled. It shows, but it stops there. We're not imamettes ... We therefore return to the matter at hand; that is to say, the site!
Are there any issues that you feel are too sensitive to discuss?
No, no taboos or restrictions here. We talk about what we want and discuss issues that our readers want to see addressed.
Who is on your team? Is it mixed?
Our columnists come from all around! Veiled and not veiled, Muslim, non Muslim, French, English, a Belgian, all different sizes, fashionistas, experts, enthusiasts, Parisians, ?suburbanites? and "provincials" (that ugly word!).� In summary, a score of chic girls who live life to the fullest! And we also have male columnists! It is not Misandra, far from it. We notice at our brunches that more and more men are part of the Hijab and The City community. And that is no bad thing!
What is your advertising market?
We have several categories; ad campaigns carried on our site tend to be related to fashion, beauty / well-being, cooking, outings. Some advertisers trust us, others are cautious, through fear of being associated with Muslim women, thanks to prejudice. Our readers are consumers like everyone else, and shoppers eager for good deals!
What is your business model?
For now advertising and selling content. We are currently working on a major new phase of the Hijab and The City project. Until now, the goal was emancipation through speaking out and providing an open forum for all women. The second step is to offer economic empowerment through WOM, our new baby, an introduction to economic activity, a source of additional income, economic independence, a modest stop-gap to help remedy the instability of many of women in the labor market. WOM, The Little Big Business! I hope we will have the opportunity to tell you more soon!
Who are your customers, your partners?
At the commercial level, it ranges from big French businesses such as Casino to one-person enterprises.� Large web sites too, such as Mektoube.fr, or online shops (including clothing), organic cosmetics, restauranteurs, concept stores, all of them Parisian. At the partnership level ..., bloggers, both professional and amateur, community media, entrepreneurial networks, etc..
What are the most common prejudices that you encounter on the road or in meetings of web professionals?
Unfortunately, the main obstacle is our appearance. Some people can?t get past it and the discussion ends before it even begins. Others play the game and end up congratulating us for our work, or telling us that what we do is very relevant and interesting. Some women are not kind to us at all, we remember one such bad experience with a network that supposedly promotes and supports female entrepreneurship. But those experiences aside, we have been able to meet some exceptional women. For example, Marie-Laure Sauty de Chalon of Aufeminin.com, a brilliant entrepreneur who listens and makes time for us. Or Marie-Fran�oise Colombani of ELLE is a talented journalist, down to earth and extremely attentive to our work. And many more!
Is it different to conduct surveys or trade negotiations with a veil?
As we stated before, the veil may indeed be a problem. Despite this, there is no limit, we just go for it. If things go well, so much the better, if not, tough luck! We refuse to enter into a process of perpetual justification. Hijab and The City: take us as we are!
How do you see the evolution of the site's editorial? ��������������������������
The site is constantly under development. Each year we change version, carrier and contents. At the editorial level, we expect to see more videos, many more exchanges via our newly installed forum, more and more participatory content, regular meetings, good plans ...
Foreign media talk a lot about you, so why do you think that the French media are more reserved?
We ask ourselves the same question. Especially as the foreign media is interested in us as entrepreneurs, as bloggers, and not as veils on legs, or the source of info on stoning, polygamy and female circumcision. One journalist from a major national newspaper conducted a 2-hour interview with us and has not published it because we were not militant enough for him. Having said that, we have been talked about on Canal +, Rue89, Lib�, France Culture ... we can?t complain too much!
Can you tell us about the Hijab and The City? brunches and parties?
These moments of conviviality are organized to meet our readers, to celebrate and share, and to realize that there is a real and faithful Hijab and The City community, that we?re not just blowing hot air. At our first evening event, 170 of us celebrated Women's Day in a girly and chic restaurant, talking, eating well, and enjoying the setting and entertainment that we had put on for our readers (and not just our female readers either, the male to female ratio wasn?t bad at all, around 70-30). It was great! The brunches are new and happen more regularly. They revolve around themes chosen by our editors. Thus, we?ve had a British brunch, a (non)Valentine's Day brunch. These are organized in our premises in the 10th precinct, on a Sunday or Saturday, and we welcome around 35-40 readers and members of the Hijab and The City team.
The Web and Arab revolution: what is your analysis of this phenomenon?
It is certain that the active use of social networks by some players could allow many things. But to say that twitter and facebook are the source of these spectacular uprising, no. Poor Bouazizi, who sacrificed himself, was not an influential tweeter, but a street vendor who lived with daily insecurity and injustice.
What are your standby sources?
Professional blogs, web marketing, personal brands etc.. Twitter, Facebook, online specialist media or social media. Also the press (economic, web ...) and general press, women?s press, female blogs and a host of other material!
Mac or PC ?
Mariame: Mac (after having 3 PCs in one bad year, they call me Sticky Hands. I?ve also had 3 Ipods and 2 Blackberrys in less than two years). Khadija: PC, and will shortly go Mac, for purely aesthetic reasons! We are always complementing each other, in fact.
What are your favorite mobile applications?
Facebook and Twitter, primarily. We try to limit our use of the phone, it quickly becomes time consuming.
A tip for our readers who would like to start as entrepreneurs?
Never wait to be given a helping hand, just get on with it. And if something is not well done, re-do it. And if you fall, get up again. Us, we did everything by ourselves. When you have no fuel but you have ideas, you have to go for it (but if a business angel passes through here, they should feel free contact us, haha!).
What is the question we haven?t asked you but you would like to be asked?
What you do is amazing, how much do you need right away?
Discover the webzine Hijab and The City here.
How do you see the evolution of the site?s editorial?
The site is constantly under development. Each year we change version, carrier and contents. At the editorial level, we expect to see more videos, many more exchanges via our newly installed forum, more and more participatory content, regular meetings, good plans ...
Nichole Robinson Tila Tequila Jessica Biel Thalía Gabrielle Union
