To be honest, I’ve never spent much time thinking about what it means to love myself. I know that the mainstream way to practice self-love is to do face masks, bath with bath bombs, splurge on something, subscribe to the whole “treat yo’self” philosophy Donna Meagle endorses in “Parks and Recreation.” But something...

Two years into high school, I stopped wearing my hijab. After two years of tying my scarf as part of my morning routine, I let my hair down. I know now that taking that risk was worth it. No, I wasn’t forced to wear a hijab by my parents, nor was I forced to remove it by anyone. It was a decision influenced by no one but mys...