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In the latest episode of Portrait of a Fangirl podcast, host Jenna Wrenn spoke with content creator, Sabeen Faheem.

Portrait of a Fangirl Podcast

The Portrait of a Fangirl Podcast is a series from the team at the Temple of Geek. Portrait of a Fangirl initially began as a web series and has now expanded into a podcast series as well. You can watch and listen to the series both here and on our YouTube channel. The podcast is currently in its second season.

Hosted by Jenna Wrenn, at the core of the project is the importance of telling the stories of women who have found inspiration, growth, and power through fandom.

You can listen to the Portrait of a Fangirl  Podcast directly on this page or stream it on Apple Podcasts / Google Podcast / iHeart Radio / Spotify and wherever you stream your podcast. You can even watch it on our YouTube channel. You can also find us on social media on Instagram and TikTok.

Blazing Your Own Path in Fandom

Sabeem Faheem has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry for her many talents. Though she began her professional career as a lawyer, Sabeen eventually became a standout for her fandom inspired outfits and cospalys as a hijabi cosplayer.

As a muslim, I wear the hijab as part of my faith, and my tagline is wear your heart on your long sleeve. And so basically, I want to promote everyone to be themselves. I want to support everyone, to be themselves. I want to encourage everyone to be themselves and wear what they love on themselves. So my content and my work that I mostly do is in style, in fashion, in marketing, in pop culture, where I have a campaign where I am asking for studios and for marketing executives and brands to be more inclusive when it comes to promoting their products and their project.

Because Muslims and South Asians make a huge portion of this world that we live in, and it’s a huge market that they’re not tapping by not showing that their clothing or their movies is for us and also for those girls out there who look like me. I do my content for them so that they can feel seen and they can feel heard and they can feel safe and comfortable to be themselves in their environment and hopefully inspire them.

Whatever it is that you love, I want you to be able to wear it, support it, enjoy it, support it without having any backlash and without having any repercussions. Because every single person is allowed to thrive and should be given the chance to thrive.

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A post shared by Sabeen Faheem (@thehijabibounder)

As Sabeen began to attend Hollywood premieres and events as a fan, the lack of representation of other hijabi cosplayers became apparent to her. That is when she embarked on the journey that would eventually lead her to career change and rise in the entertainment industry and as a social media presence.

I was the only hijabi [cosplayer]. Of course there were other hijabi attendees that were there. There were families of the actors or their families of the people who worked on the movie, but I was with the cosplayer group. I was the only one. And then I really thought to myself well, who’s out there actually doing this in hijab? […] And then I saw that there was a group in the East Coast, but nobody was here on the West Coast. 

And so, I was like, there has to be a way to encourage them because I know they’re out there. I know they’re out there, there’s no way that they’re not. And that’s when I realized that was super important for me to continue doing this in a bigger way.

About Our Host

Host and executive producer of the Portrait of a Fangirl Podcast, Jenna Wrenn, is also an entertainment correspondent for Temple of Geek.  Jenna has interviewed talents such as Felicia Day, Max Brooks, Christopher Paolini, Rachel Smythe, and Ashley Eckstein. She has written several articles for Temple of Geek covering conventions, anime, pop culture, and much more.

A historian by trade, a writer by passion, and a cat mom by birthright. Jenna loves to travel, forge new connections, and cosplay. Jenna is excited to bring more fascinating interviews to viewers/listeners of the Portrait of a Fangirl podcast.

More episodes from season two of the Portrait of a Fangirl Podcast

• Episode 9: Ashley Eckstein on 10 Years of the Her Universe Fashion Show (7/3/2024)
• Episode 8: Micahel James Scott Returns for the Her Universe Fashion Show 10th Anniversary (6/27/2024)
• Episode 7: Breaking inot Hollywood Writing with Victoria Male (6/8/2024)
• Episode 6: FeliciaDay3D: Bringing 3D Printing, Tabletop, & Geek Culture Together (5/24/2024)
• Episode 5: Beyond the Stereotypes: How TikTok Star Shiv Reddy is Changing the Narrative (5/18/2024)
• Episode 4: From Retail to Red Carpet with Amanda Castrillo (4/25/2024)
• Episode 3: The Evolutions of Fangirling with Tara Sands (4/16/2024)
• Episode 2: Fandom as a Window to the World with Alice Fanchiang (3/29/2024)
• Episode 1: Fandom in Academia With Dr. Sabrina Mittermeier (3/15/2024)

Check out season one of the Portrait of a Fangirl  Podcast

• Conversation With Author EK Johnston (11/10/2023)
• Rachel Smythe Roundtable Interview at New York Comic Con 2023 (10/19/2023)
• Inclusivity and the Authentic Self in Content Creating (10/3/2023)
• Emily Zemler on “The Nightmare Before Christmas: Beyond Halloween Town” (9/8/2023)
• Kayleigh McKee on Creativity, Industry, and Personal Growth (9/1/2023)
• Fandom From Behind the Scenes – POAFG Podcast (8/15/2023)
• Discussion With Graphic Novelist Ghezal Omar (7/20/2023)
• The Art of Fangirling With “Let’s Play” Creator Leeanne Krecic (7/19/2023)
• Interview with Ashley Eckstein – Her Universe Fashion Show (6/28/2023)