Nabela Noor
Nabela Noor
Nabela Noor (born August 4, 1991) is a Muslim-American YouTube star. She is also the Founder and CEO of Zeba, a size inclusive, self love-focused movement and clothing brand. Zeba’s mission is to challenge sizing norms and beauty standards.
Early Life & Education
Nabela Noor was born in New York City. Her parents immigrated to the United States when her mother was 5 months pregnant; she wore a shawl on the day of their travels to conceal her pregnancy.
She spent her early years in New York City and Maryland, but spent the majority of her childhood in Pennsylvania.
She graduated high school at the age of 16; she jumped from 10th grade to 12th grade.
She then attended community college where she met her first love, Liam.
After the relationship ended, she began watching YouTube videos.
She eventually transferred from community college to Pennsylvania State University. She also attended a private college afterwards and studied abroad in Mexico.
YouTube
E.L.F. x Nabela Noor collection
Nabela Noor officially became a YouTuber in November 2013.
She got close with two fellow YouTubers, Andrea Brooks (better known as AndreasChoice) and Alba Mayo.
As of April 2020, Noor has over 822,000 followers on her YouTube account. Her most popular videos include "100 LAYERS OF BINDIS?!?!" with 4 million views, "SOCIAL EXPERIMENT CHANGES HER LIFE | The Bright Fight" with 3.2 million views and "Nabela & Seth: Bengali + American Fusion Wedding" with 2.7 million views.[5]
Zeba
In June 2019, Noor launched her own size-inclusive brand.
Zeba, Noor's new label, is distinguished by a unique sizing system that aims to encourage consumers to celebrate their bodies without conforming to traditional beauty standards.
Sizes have been replaced on Neba’s labels by words of affirmation - though, to be fair, each word does refer to a standard retail size.
The affirmations include: Passionate (XS), Brave (S), Inspiring (M), Fearless (L), Radiant (XL), Powerful (2X), Loved (3X), and Independent (4X).[23][24]
Collaborations
In September 2019, Noor was a featured speaker at the 2019 CurvyCon event in New York City last weekend, which brought together fashion-loving women, brands, and influencers for three days of celebrating size diversity and body positivity. During a panel discussion, she spoke to the audience about how crucial it is to share her message with women who look like she does. “Its tough enough being plus size, but when you’re a woman of color and plus size on top of that, there’s so many things all of us deal with being marginalized. So it’s been important to me to share my experiences,” she told the CurvyCon crowd. "If someone sends me a hate comment telling me to go die, I say, 'Why? I’m thriving, I’m living,'" she said at CurvyCon. "I encourage people to flip the script, and I want people to take whatever is going to drag them down and use that to lift them up. If someone says I look like a fat cow, I say ‘I love cows!'"[22]
In October 2019, Noor collaborated with Eyes Lips Face Cosmetics. Launched October 6, the E.L.F. x Nabela Noor collection is all about celebrating Noor's heritage and individual beauty.[21] She explains this on Instagram in a heartwarming post about the collaboration with the drugstore giant and what it ultimately means to her:
"A Bangladeshi-American, plus sized, Muslim girl has her very own makeup collection with @elfcosmetics.
A collection celebrating her South Asian heritage and individual beauty.
I wouldn’t believe anyone if they told me those sentences growing up.
I can confidently say that younger Nabela would have felt less like an outsider if this existed throughout my adolescence.
It is surreal to be celebrating today what so many people have wanted me to apologize for."[17][21]
"When my henna used to be laughed at as being 'weird,' it will now be front and center everywhere.
My full face and cheeks were mocked for being 'huge' and will now be blown up on posters and images for the world to see.
The color of my skin paired with my family’s name led to so much discrimination in a divided country as I grew up; but that same name and that same brown skin will be in one of the most popular beauty hubs in the country, where people from all backgrounds will see a full display of me confidently loving the skin I am in."[17][21]
The collection itself includes four luxe-yet-affordable launches: the Beautifully You Brush Set, the Lip Cocktail Kit, the Gleaming Loose Highlighter, and the Complete Collection.[17]
Personal Life
Nabela Noor is one of six children; she has two older brothers, an older sister, and two younger sisters named Maira and Neharika.
She is married to a man named Seth.
In an interview with Paper, she said:
"One time I went on a date with a super quiet, shy guy.
He picked me up and we barely spoke the entire car ride.
We barely spoke during dinner.
Finally I asked, "Can you just take me home?" Turns out, he was just so nervous and didn't want to say the wrong thing.
I ended up marrying him.
Now we talk all night until we fall asleep."[16]
Coronavirus Outbreak
In May 2020, Noor revealed that she has tested positive for COVID-19.
Documenting her ordeal, she posted a selfie with a long note on her Instagram account.
Nabela wrote that she had been staying inside for 75 days.
She had stepped out only five times during the period and that too by following every precautionary measure.
"The 5 times I left the house I took every precaution including masks, social distancing and hand washing," she mentioned in the post:
Today I found out that I tested positive for COVID-19.
Most of you know that I have been self-quarantining for 75 days and counting.
I have done everything by the book.[29]
The 5 times I left the house I took every precaution including masks, social distancing and hand washing.
After 4 days of symptoms, I learned that I tested positive. [29]
I am sad and have cried my fair share of tears all morning.
But I have faith in God and His power and grace.
I felt defeated at first but am renewed in faith.[29]
I can’t thank @itssethmar enough for his tender love and care and his relentless faith, which feels like enough for the both of us at times.[29]
I’ll keep you posted as I can and will continue to update daily on @nabelanoorhome with daily short videos of my progress.[29]
Please pray for us if you can.[29]
Sending lots + lots of love.
🤍[29]
In July 2020, Noor spoke up for Bangladeshi RMG workers with hashtag #Payup on Instagram. She also showed a list of brands who are involved and tagged those to let people know of their malpractices. Bangladeshi garment workers are left starving during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic due to work order cancellation or suspension and delay in shipment.
Noor made the urgent call on her verified Instagram page in a video message and drew attention of all major brands to #Payup now. She also urged her fans and followers to support her demand and share the information. She said:
"The exploitation of Bangladeshi garment workers must stop NOW.
Major brands have yet to #PAYUP leaving over 4.1 million Bangladeshi garment workers at the brink of starvation and facing the threat of homelessness."[30]
Noor urged her fans to tag Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Khloé Kardashian and Kanye West (on Twitter) to bring this to their attention under their posts. In addition, Noor said, "Kanye’s partnership with @Gap is disappointing given that Gap has yet to #PayUp." She also urged her followers to tag and bring attention to the following brands as well who are all involved in this crisis: Gap Inc.,J. C. Penney, Walmart, Primark, Forever 21, Peacocks, Bestseller, Levi Strauss & Co., Ross Dress for Less, Sears, Topshop, Burton, Kohl's, Urban Outfitters, Free People, Anthropologie, The Children's Place, Li & Fung, Mothercare.[30]