Why We Lie Online (Muslim girls)

Why We Lie Online (Muslim girls) is a reflection on the pressure to perform, hide, and shape-shift online—especially for Muslim women today.

You ever post something just because it looked good—even if it wasn’t real?

A caption that didn’t match how you felt.
A story that left things out on purpose.
A smile you didn’t mean.

We don’t always call it lying. Sometimes we say, “I was just keeping it positive.” Or “I didn’t want to overshare.”
But if we’re being honest, a lot of what we post online has more to do with how we want to be seen… not who we really are.

And at some point, that starts to hurt.

The Filter Pressure on Muslim Girls Online

People said the internet used to be fun. Even messy. You could post your favorite book list, random thoughts, grainy screenshots—no pressure.
But now? Everything’s clean, smooth, aesthetic. Even real is a look now.

And the problem is, once you start editing one part of your life for others to see, it’s hard to stop.

You edit your emotions.
Your habits.
Your struggles.
You start telling stories where you always win, always smile, always glow.
Even if you’re barely holding it together.

You scroll “just for a minute.” Then suddenly it’s maghrib, and you’re still watching some influencer’s skincare routine or a storytime that doesn’t even matter.
You click one harmless video—and by swipe five, you’re knee-deep in content you know you shouldn’t be watching.
Sometimes it’s outright haram.
Sometimes it’s just a waste.
But you stay anyway.
Because the algorithm is louder than your guilt.

Let’s not even talk about exposing ourselves. As Muslim women, we know what hijab is meant to be. It’s not just fabric. It’s also protection, modesty, and boundaries.

But these platforms blur that line until it’s gone.

Yes—A lot of scholars agree the face and hands aren’t awrah.
But that doesn’t mean your face should be shown to everyone.
Not random men on the internet. Not the Entire internet. Is it necessary? Let’s not start with the evil eye. It’s a deep topic.

So why even that?

Why are we okay with being seen by millions, styled and smiling, when the point of hijab wasn’t just to “cover the body,” but also to create space? To guard? To keep some things private?

And for those not wearing hijab at all—or wearing it in ways that still show off—we can’t pretend it’s all fine. That’s not judgment. That’s reality. (And maybe a full post on its own.)

And don’t even start on mixity.
Men and women casually chatting, flirting, heart-reacting, DMing “platonically.”
Zina doesn’t need a date anymore.
Sometimes all it takes is a comment… and then a private message.

And somehow, the deeper you go, the harder it is to even want to stop.

SubhanAllah.
May Allah guide us and make it easy.
If I said something wrong here, the mistake is from me—and may Allah forgive me.
JazakAllahu Khair for reading.