Fig & Olive

Let’s discuss black women’s complicated relationship with natural hair… does hijab help?

The failings of ‘choice Feminism’ There are two reasons why choice Feminism doesn’t work as a philosophy for anyone whose goal is improving the lives of women; all choices are not equal and all choices are made within larger contexts (contexts in which endless choice is impossible). The first story I came across that illustrated […]

A while back I came across two stories that served as shining examples of the failings of ‘choice Feminism’. ‘Choice Feminism’ may not be a term we’re all familiar with but its basic premise is one society holds onto most fervently. The basic idea is that whatever a woman chooses is empowering, that Feminism/women’s empowerment […]

I came across a random YouTube short where the man said, “Don’t play hard to get, there’s a ton of women on my feed” or something to that effect. The idea is a common one, choices these days are endless. But, of course, it doesn’t take much to realize that that is an illusion. There […]

I always thought it was a fact that Eve was made from Adam’s rib. In ‘religious talk’ that would mean it was agreed upon (by scholars) or that there was something directly from Hadith or Quran we could point to and say, “Eve was created from Adam’s rib”. But, no —at least, not exactly. There is and […]

In some ways, the housewife of today continues the tradition of the housewives of yesteryear. Cooking, cleaning, attending to her husband’s needs, and depending on him to foot the bill for their living expenses. Yet there is something fundamentally different; the social, cultural, and economic environment has had drastic changes. In some ways, the housewife […]

وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ تَنفَعُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٥٥ And remind (by preaching the Qur’ân, O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), for verily, the reminding profits the believers. 51:55 Translation: Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali & Muhammad Muhsin Khan The clouds to the right of my house look like mountains. At least they have for the past week that I’ve […]

Subscribe here to read the full essay. It was back in college when I first heard someone refer to God (god) by the feminine third-person singular pronoun. I was in the psychology club and we had alumni visiting us, I don’t remember her name nor much else she said but I vaguely recall her leaning […]

 يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًۭا كَثِيرًۭا وَنِسَآءًۭ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ وَٱلْأَرْحَامَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًۭا ١ O humanity! Be mindful of your Lord Who created you from a single soul, and from it He created its mate, and through both […]

I was surprised to find myself agreeing with the sentiment that women today don’t need men. I usually subscribe to the notion that men are providers and protectors but as time passes that idea seems increasingly outdated. Most women today work and make their own money, and society —at least in the West, is safe enough for […]