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Myra-1
Posted on February 28, 2012 by Meghan Hussey
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……….Myra is one of the most dynamic people I know. I was interested in using photography to capture different aspects of her personality and identity. This year she cut her hair short, inspired by the classic beauty Audrey Hepburn. I asked her to dress however she liked, and she came in a simple outfit that I thought well suited her: a t-shirt and jeans, with a leather jacket that captures her spunk and edge, as well as a beautiful scarf from Pakistan and feather earrings that were both bright pink – a color that captures her vibrant personality perfectly.
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Myra - 2
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Myra is Pakistani-American. She was born in the US and can project the cool confidence of her native Texas. Her love of this country shows through her love of politics and public service. She is also brilliant: she speaks 5 languages and in May will leave to take a gap year in Asia improving her Chinese and Korean before going to law school.
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Myra - 3
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Myra is the youngest in her family and is not afraid to be silly. She has an amazing ability to lose her inhibitions and act like a kid again. Since we have become friends we have accumulated hilarious stories that could go on for days.
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Myra - 4
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Recently, it was revealed that the NYPD has been monitoring a number of Muslim Student Association groups, including the one at Penn to which Myra belongs, without their knowledge and with no cause for suspicion other than their religion. This experience with profiling, along with the lack of strong support from the University, has ignited a sense of anger in both Myra and myself as her friend. They don’t see all of the pieces that make her a unique individual. All they care about is that she is Muslim, since that is enough to make her a threat in their eyes.
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Myra - 5
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Myra is also a ball of energy and fun to be around. Her global interests come through when she enjoys herself. She loves to dance to Bollywood music and sing Karaoke to Taiwanese pop songs. She has a large and multi-cultural circle of friends because of her caring nature and her ability to light up the room.
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Myra - 6
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Yet, Myra embraces Islam as an integral part of her identity. During our shoot she took a break to pray, like many faithful Muslims do at certain times of the day, covering her hair with her scarf. She does not hide her heritage or feel ashamed of it, even though she has faced ignorance and racism. I hope that one day people will be able to accept her Muslim faith as a beautiful part of what makes her whole, and also realize that identity is multi-dimensional and it is in that complexity that our real humanity lies.
About The Author: Meghan Hussey is a Candidate for BA in International Relations and Political Science Minor in International Development, Certificate in Mandarin at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2012
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Copyright 2012
