Shahana Hanif is a 28-year-old activist and organizer who used to run a blog about her chronic illness. Now, she’s running for New York City Council in the 39th District. She was spurred to become a candidate after helping a woman in her community — a fellow Bangladeshi Muslim — leave an abusive situation.
Women in politics frequently use fashion to communicate something larger than themselves. Think of Nancy Pelosi’s red “burn” coat, the Democratic women in matching suffragette white at last year’s State of the Union address, or, on the flip side, the deliberately icy blondes of Fox News and the Trump White House. Hanif knows this. As a young woman of color, she’s intentional about what she wears — because of comments she gets from veteran New York politicians, because she is a lupus survivor, and because each outfit is a chance to expand the definition of what “professional dress” looks like in progressive politics. We spoke with her about what she wears canvassing, shalwar kameez, and how she campaigns while managing a chronic illness.
On her everyday shoes: I’m always on the go, moving within and across Brooklyn and communities throughout New York, always organizing. I might start a day riding my bike, since I’m an active advocate for safe streets and designated bike lanes. Then, I might slip on my work loafers to meet with constituents to provide advocacy and support on pressing issues like domestic violence. I end the day at events or fundraisers in support of local community-based organizations, and for those I’ll change into block-heel pumps. Most days, the shoe change isn’t seamless, and I’m moving about in one pair all day.
On dressing to honor her roots: I often wear a midi dress paired with pants that can be dressed up with an embroidered, paisley-print shawl. During the warmer months, I’m likely to dress in colorful, printed cotton shalwar kameez, which is the original dress over pants and has roots in my Bangladeshi heritage.
I’m a first-generation Bangladeshi woman, born and raised in Kensington, Brooklyn, the largest Bangladeshi Muslim community in Brooklyn. As kids, my sisters and I played on our block in flowy, bright shalwar kameez and Payless sneakers. We’d get made fun of for dressing like this, but now these very cuts, textiles, and concepts have proliferated in Western fashion. Wearing shalwar kameez is an act of reclamation.
When I was growing up, I often felt shame around wearing shalwar kameez or other traditional Bangladeshi or Islamic clothing in non-Bangladeshi or Muslim gatherings. This shame is rooted in white supremacy and the standards of “professional”-wear. While working to expand the electorate to include women like me in legislative and political leadership, I find it critical to challenge the politics around fashion and professionalism. I don’t shy away from wearing a shari (sari) to public events.
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