“tHis is tHe fiRst tiMe i’ve been fRee to go foR a totally dRastic tRansfoRMation”
it’s not just selfies showcasing new haircuts and post-training group photos that al rashid’s social media accounts are filled with, however. as any of her regular followers can tell you, one of her online signatures is the empty black square, posted once every so often in observance of a humanitarian tragedy, social struggles or the occasional natural disaster. and there are plenty of other socio-political posts that the average celebrity would never put up for the world to see. then again, we’re not talking about an average celebrity here.
“the current political climate is changing,” she asserts passionately. “it’s changing, man!” she then lists off a number of landmark events that have, indeed, changed the geopolitical landscape of the world. “and all of this stuff is happening at the same time that social media is gaining ground, where everyone is becoming so egocentric,” al rashid continues before moving on to the main reason of her vocal stance on so many issues: “i can’t accept the world for what it is; i can’t accept social media for what it is; so, i want to use my social media accounts to bring reality to people. i’d be really upset when my political posts get fewer likes than selfies.”
as expected, the response to posts like this has been divisive, to say the least, with the usual torrent of “you’re a celebrity, what do you know?” responses. “on the one hand, reading those can be upsetting,” she concedes. “on the other hand, all you can do is laugh and i’m happy that at least i’m getting you to talk about it.” al rashid has no illusions about the limits of what her posts can achieve, but she still feels that raising awareness is an attainable goal. and she seems to actually like the way her followers argue back and forth about the issues she raises. “at least i’m provoking you to defend something that you believe in,” she concludes. “whether i agree with you or not doesn’t matter.”
sometimes, however, an issue can hit a bit too close to home. “one event that really broke my world apart was Brexit,” she says, referring to the United kingdom’s withdrawal from the european Union, which brings with it a lot of uncertainty concerning immigrants and their families as well as those holding an eU passport. and it’s especially hard if you have always considered the Britain—or in al rashid’s case, London—home.
when asked what she misses the most about life in Britain, she takes a while before softly replying: “oh, man. Everything.” she then reveals that she’s going through a “dangerous” bout of homesickness. “You know what i do?” she begins, “i go into marks and spencer, and they have a snack corner, with snacks i grew up with. sometimes i’m like, okay, i spent a hundred thousand just on biscuits because when i open the packet and smell it, it reminds me of London.” But it’s much more than simple nostalgia. “i’ve just realized now that however much i love being in indonesia, however much i love my job, my support system—my friends and family—are there.” Beyond these, she also mentions the fresh air and the food—which are hardly surprising—along with British tV, specifically the availability of documentaries (and you got to admit, the BBC makes some of the world’s greatest documentaries), and the multiculturalism of London. the last two certainly link back to al rashid’s current activism on social media and highlight her frustration with the lack of awareness and the strong divisiveness in these parts of the woods.
so, it didn’t come as too much of a surprise that when asked about her long-term plans, she mentions going home. it’s not the first time that al rashid has contemplated returning to London, but this time around it looks like it’s for real. “the situation here is not getting easier to live in,” she professes. “there’s a lot of creeping conservatism and political issues that are making me a bit uncomfortable—and making me a bit uneasy about, whether or not as a foreigner, i will continue to be able to live here.” Naturally, the whole Brexit issue isn’t helping. “if i’m in a financial position to go back and forth, that would be ideal,” she continues, “because i don’t want to just leave this place that i love so much.”
so, what will hannah al rashid do if—or when— she moves back to London? “You know, if i’m honest, going back even to work as a waitress would make me happy,” she notes with a smile. “i’ve spent my twenties in Jakarta, living a crazy life doing something that i never expected. so, if i go back to europe to live a very simple life, just being invisible among everybody else, i’d be okay with that. at this point, what i really crave is that kind of invisibility, i think.”
No matter which path she ends up taking, though, she already made a strong mark in this world. and, of course, she will continue to add at least a couple more notches to her long list of accomplishments in the next year or so. what comes beyond that, whether it’s from behind the veil of invisibility or once again under the limelight, only time will tell.