dress codes

2011 February issue – Ladies Home Journal

“The other children are always curious about me. They’ll say, ‘Look mommy, it’s a ghost, or an angel.’ It’s the parents who look the most uncomfortable.” – this is a terrific quote from saba syeda, a conservative muslim. the folks from ladies home journal sent me down to houston to meet and photograph saba. the story was about the misconceptions of being a muslim american based on religious clothing. we spent the day together doing “normal” things like shopping, eating, and going to the park.  from my brief time with her, I noticed two things – 1) how people usually react to the unfamiliar with raised eyebrows and a deep stare and 2) how easily, or i should really use the word naturally, saba let’s it all bounce off of her.

a few outtakes:

© van ditthavong