Noor Tagouri (aka Nuur Tagouri) is a Libyan-American journalist, activist, motivational speaker and a model who came to the global media limelight after appearing in Playboy magazine in a hijab in the magazine’s October 2016 issue. She became the first Muslim woman to appear in Playboy magazine and the first woman to appear in the magazine wearing a hijab.
As of 2016, Tagouri works for Newsy, an online video news site based in the United States. In her career as a journalist, she has worked for CBS radio in Washington DC and has reported for CTV News. As an activist and campaigner, she has delivered talks in several places and has travelled globally. She also writes columns for the Huffington Post. She aspires to be the first hijab-wearing TV host on a US television network.
Her decision to pose for Playboy magazine was both praised and criticised on social media. However, she was featured on and interviewed by prominent media outlets globally.
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 | NATIVE NAME: | Noor Tagouri | ||||||
 | BIRTHDAY: | 27 November 1994 | ||||||
 | BIRTHPLACE: | West Virginia, US | ||||||
 | PROFESSION: | Journalist, Model, Activist | ||||||
 | AWARD(S) | NA | ||||||
 | FAMOUS FOR: | Let Noor Shine | ||||||
 | HEIGHT: | 5’ 8” | ||||||
 | EDUCATION: | BA (Journalism) | ||||||
 | BOYFRIEND: | Single (as of 2016) | ||||||
 | NATIONALITY: | American | ||||||
 | ETHNICITY: | Arab | ||||||
 | RELIGION: | Muslim | ||||||
 | FOLLOW ON: |
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Early Life & Education
Noor Tagouri was born on 27 November 1994 in West Virginia to parents of Libyan origin. An active student from an early age, she attended Prince Gorge’s Community College from 2010 to 2011, graduating with a 4.0 GPA and Highest Honors. She was offered a full scholarship by the University of Maryland to pursue a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, majoring in broadcast journalism. She took international development and conflict management as a minor subject in her Bachelor’s degree. She graduated from the UML in 2014.
An online profile of Tagouri on the official website of Prince George’s Community College reads that she was the youngest graduate to be chosen as a Commencement Speaker in the college’s history. In 2012, Tagouri was chosen for the opportunity at the age of 18. The profile also reads that while at PGCC, she wrote for a student newspaper, founded a club named Green N’ Fit and served as president of the Muslim Student Association.
Career As a Journalist and Activist
In December 2012 she initiated a social media campaign called LetNoorShine (#letnoorshine) and gave motivational talks in different parts of the world. In addition, she used the campaign to connect with influential people and other like-minded activists. Media interest in her campaign has been remarkable and she was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network and was invited to deliver a TEDx talk organised at the George Washington University.
Noor Tagouri & Playboy Controversy
Tagouri appeared in Playboy magazine’s October 2016 edition as part of its Renegades issue, a special issue dedicated to social activists and change-makers. She became the first woman to appear in Playboy magazine wearing a hijab in the magazine’s 63-year history. Her decision to appear in the magazine was both criticised and welcomed by social media commentators.
Critics mainly questioned her religious commitment, but she was also criticised for choosing Playboy as a publishing platform. In the BBC’s World Have Your Say program, one commentator asked her why she had decided to represent a platform that had a long history of objectifying women in order to make money. Replying to his question, Tagouri said that there was no good or bad place to deliver a message. She added that as saints and prophets go with their messages everywhere, she was attempting to do something similar.
In addition, after the controversy, she wrote a post on her personal website where she said:
“I knew that Playboy had overhauled the look of the magazine and took out the nudity; that was great but it wasn’t enough. This wasn’t a decision that I could take lightly. I spent time talking to my family and mentors, praying about it, and asking the writers a ton of questions.”
She justified her argument adding that she took the decision to appear in the magazine as a gesture to represent the misrepresented and those who were misunderstood and bullied. She further stated:
“I did it for Muslims, for women, and for everyone misrepresented in mainstream media today. I did it for young women everywhere that are struggling with their identity and feel misunderstood. I did it for the 10,000 who came before me that were bullied in private or publicly humiliated because they didn’t conform to societal standards of how a woman should present herself.”
Presence on Social Media
Noor Tagouri is also famous for her use of social media for social activism. An active user of social networking sites, she has a significant number of followers on Instagram, Twitter and also runs a YouTube channel. In addition, she also has a personal website, a Tumblr blog and she is active on LinkedIn as well.
