Inspirational Women December 2013: Noor Tagouri and Mariam Sobh

Here at the SkinLess Project, we are inspired by women aiming to break barriers to achieve their goals and dreams.  We are inspired by those who celebrate diversity and ask others to do so as well. Noor Tagouri and Mariam Sobh are no exception.  One is an aspiring journalist who has taken social media by storm as she struggles to fulfill her dream.  The other is a journalist, entrepreneur, and actress who has performed in the Conservatory at the acclaimed Second City Training Center in Chicago.

The SkinLess Project applauds and celebrates this month’s Inspirational Women: Noor Tagouri and Mariam Sobh .

“Find what it is that really ignites a fire in you.” – Noor Tagouri

“I believe if we work toward truly and genuinely loving one another regardless of status, beauty, wealth etc. we will be able to support one another.” – Mariam Sobh

Noor Tagouri

You have always wanted to be a journalist, tell me why?

Mariam Sobh

You have had a very interesting career path. Tell us where you started?

I’ve always had a passion for entertaining others and growing up at a time where there were no outlets whatsoever for Muslims and women in particular I always dreamt of seeing a Muslim version of Seventeen magazine. I even made fake magazines in Junior High (this was way before the internet lol) and would pass them out to my friends. I would even make fake radio show recordings. I guess early on I knew that there had to be a way for us to create our own media and was anxious to get a start on it!

I knew I always wanted to be a performer, but as I mentioned before, that wasn’t something Muslims especially Muslim women did. And the only sort of entertainment we did see in the community at that time was made up of men singing a capella.

I took it upon myself to push for women performers and asked if I could sing at the first Muslim women’s fashion show at ISNA back in the late 90′s. Once I started with that I just kept going and performing at women’s events and putting on events for women with my friends. This was a time when people were very conservative in certain communities here in the United States, so there was no way I’d be allowed to perform in front of a mixed audience.

But by the time I was in college a friend and I organized a Muslim performance evening and it was inclusive and open to the public. It was the first time Muslim women and men performed together on our campus and it was talked about in other communities because I guess it was shocking at the time.

It was during this time that I figured I would pursue my singing and journalism together.

I took the path to journalism in college because I felt that while maybe I couldn’t make it in the entertainment industry with my hijab, at least I could be a news anchor on television right? I wasn’t exactly prepared for how hard that would be.

You wear many different hats. Tell us about your position as “entertainer at Mariam Sobh”

I put up a fanpage to showcase my personal achievements outside of the website.

Because I juggle so many things, I like to separate some of them. So for example this is more about my personal life and real world and includes updates on my improv or sketch work, singing, voice over work and auditioning etc.

You are also a news anchor/reporter for WBEZ, How did that come about?

When I first moved to Chicago, I interned for WBEZ. It was a great experience and helped me get my foot into the Chicago market which is pretty hard to crack. During my internship I was offered a job as political reporter for another network which I did for 3 years. 2 kids later and two jobs in traffic reporting, I’m back at WBEZ.

I was brought on to freelance as their elections producer last year, and a few months into the job I was offered a position somewhere else, and that’s when WBEZ hired me full time as a news anchor and reporter.

Have you always had a passion for journalism? Why?

I knew that I wanted to do something that would matter in terms of helping others. I felt that through journalism I could tell stories that would open people’s eyes to the plight of others. And I also wanted to find a way to entertain people even if it was through announcing important information.

You are also an entrepreneur, where does this leaning come from?

When I was in 10 ^th grade I had an economics class where the teacher focused on entrepreneurs like Oprah Winfrey and that’s when a light bulb went off in my head. I realized that you can be anything and do anything with your life and being an entrepreneur is the way to do it.

What obstacles have you had in getting to where you are?

I’ve had many doors shut on me because I wear hijab, particularly in the television industry. I have had news directors infer that they couldn’t hire me because of it. One actually said if I went to Dearborn, Michigan I might have a chance because there are people like me there.

What have you learned from your obstacles?

What I learned was that sometimes you can’t keep pounding on the door hoping that one opens. You often have to take a detour and come up with a different plan. And that’s one of the reasons Hijabtrendz.com was born. I had the control to put out what I wanted and create a platform for women.

You recently finished a program with Second City, is comedy in your blood?

I always like to joke around with friends, but I never envisioned myself as a comedian. I got involved in Second City initially to take improv classes and learn to let go of stage fright. I had been auditioning for things through my agent and always got really nervous and thought this would help me loosen up. I didn’t realize I would end up pursuing it for a few years and taking it much more seriously.

The beauty of it is that you can be whoever you want and it doesn’t matter what you look like or if you wear hijab.

The comedic route is different from what your other aspirations are. We find the diversity fascinating, any thoughts? Did you find resistance to the fact that you wear hijab?

I think there is a part of me that subconsciously likes challenges. If someone tells me I can’t do something, then I have to go do it, even if I don’t succeed, at least I tried.

In terms of the comedy world, they are a lot more open minded than any other profession I’ve encountered so far, but at the same time they’ve never worked with a hijabi, so I could tell that they weren’t sure what to make of it.

I think that initially I took some things too personally because of my previous obstacles and learned to loosen up and let things slide. People are curious and many in the comedy world, although open minded, haven’t interacted with a Muslim woman in hijab.

Some would say you are breaking barriers, would you agree?

Maybe I am, but that’s not what I set out to do. My goal has always been to pursue whatever path I want and not let anyone set limits for me. But if I am breaking barriers I hope that I can make it easier for other women.

Social media has played a great part in your success with Hijabtrendz, are there any setbacks?

I think social media has definitely played a great role because it’s word of mouth on steroids! The only downside is that people like to spew a lot of hatred and negativity for some reason and I really wish we’d work more toward supporting and building each other up. We could achieve so much more if we did that.

There is a myth that women do not support each other, what are your thoughts on collaboration?

It’s funny that you mention that because it kind of ties in to my previous answer. I actually think there is a bit of truth to it. Some women feel that because they had to go through so many difficulties to get to where they are, they want other women to have to work hard to get to the top. There is also a jealousy issue that women have with each other. I believe if we work toward truly and genuinely loving one another regardless of status, beauty, wealth etc. we will be able to support one another. There are unfortunately too many little petty things that get in the way and obstruct our thoughts.

Lastly, what advice would you give me to a person trying to achieve a goal, specifically one that others feel is unattainable?

I think you can be a dreamer, but you should also include a dose of reality.

What I wish I had done was stop worrying and obsessing over getting into television right away.

I didn’t see that there are so many other paths that could lead to that ultimate goal. I also didn’t realize that sometimes these are life lessons and maybe it’s not my time right now to be in television.

That leads me to the point of being able to tap into your creative side. If you want to achieve a goal that people think is unattainable try a unique route, figure out a way that can possibly get your there that no one else is doing. And finally, never listen to the naysayers. It’s easier said than done, but many times people say things negatively because they wish they were able to do what you’re doing and aren’t able to voice those feeling appropriately.