As seen in Vogue.

“You cannot do anything in this country without my permission.”
For sixteen-year-old Sara, life has always been about following the rules; her father’s rules.
Makeup? Haram.
Fashion magazines? Haram.
Friends who don’t meet his approval? Definitely haram.
When her strict Egyptian dad moves the family to the Arabian Gulf, Sara’s world shrinks overnight. In a
place where a woman’s freedom depends on a man’s permission, every dream feels out of reach. But
Sara refuses to disappear quietly.
As her passion for writing, beauty and independence grows stronger, so does her courage to challenge
the expectations that bind her. Can she stay true to her faith while finding her own voice, and a future
she chooses for herself?
Candid, courageous and unforgettable, Hijab & Red Lipstick is a powerful coming-of-
age story about identity, patriarchy and the fight to belong - inspired by the experiences of women who
dare to defy.

Prizes

Commended for The Diverse Book Awards - Longlisted for Best YA 2021

“Hijab and Red Lipstick is a story that needs to be read by women and feminists” Teefa & her
Books

Yousra Imran is half-English and half-Egyptian and grew up between London and the Arabian Peninsula. She holds a BA Hons in International Relations and is a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor. She was the fitness and wellbeing columnist for Grazia Arabia in 2016 and 2017 as well as a regular guest chat show host on QBS Radio in Qatar.

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HIJAB AND RED LIPSTICK is her debut novel and was featured in Vogue Arabia.

 

Yousra currently works and resides in West Yorkshire where she works in marketing and events in the education sector. She has been writing professionally for over 10 years, with articles being published in a number of printed and online publications in the Middle East and UK. A women's rights advocate, Yousra identifies as Muslim and feminist, and is passionate about human rights and gender justice in the Middle East. Her hobbies include reading, writing and long walks in nature.