Media Wunderkind Noor Tagouri Makes a Forceful Case for Modesty

The reporter chats about the state of journalism today and her effort to break through as the first ‘hijabi’ news anchor in American TV history

- By Anna Del Gaizo

For anyone with preconceived ideas about women who choose to wear a headscarf every day, Noor Tagouri is disorienting. She’s simply not what you expect: a 22-year-old journalist (she likes to call herself a storyteller) on the verge of becoming this country’s first hijab-wearing news anchor.

As of June, she’s an on-air reporter for Newsy, where she provokes the sort of confusion we could use right now, in part by making a surprisingly bold case for modesty. As a badass activist with a passion for demanding change and asking the right questions, accompanied by beauty-ad-campaign looks, Tagouri forces us to ask ourselves why we have such a hard time wrapping our minds around a young woman who consciously covers her head and won’t take no for an answer.

A West Virginia native and first-generation Libyan American, Tagouri graduated from college at the age of 20. In 2012, her #LetNoorShine campaign went viral. Her 2015 TEDx talk advocated unapologetic individuality, and her YouTube channel draws tens of thousands of viewers. More recently, she collaborated with street-wear brand Lis’n Up Clothing on a fashion line that includes a Jean-Michel Basquiat–inspired sweatshirt. Half the purchase proceeds go to Project Futures, an anti-human-trafficking organization. Americans have a long way to go when it comes to how we regard Muslims, but with Tagouri burning down stereotypes and blazing new paths, we’re a healthy stride closer.

PLAYBOY: Your goal is to become the first hijabi anchor on commercial U.S. television. What’s the biggest challenge you face in your work?