Negotiating modesty in Indonesia : Muslim women influencers and digital entrepreneurship on Instagram

Abstract

This study examines how young Muslim women influencers in Indonesia transform modest fashion into a form of digital entrepreneurship on Instagram. Focusing on two case studies—@denaahaura, who runs the brand Minimslm, and @sashfir, founder of Lafiye—it explores how modesty is interpreted, styled, and commodified in visually distinct yet equally strategic ways. Drawing on digital ethnography and visual analysis, the research shows how belief, branding, and business are entangled in the everyday labor of self-presentation. Dena presents modesty as a fixed moral stance, rooted in da’wah affiliations and political values, and embeds this position into the architecture of her brand. In contrast, Sashfir maintains a modest personal image while allowing her brand to engage a broader visual spectrum—where modesty is ambient, aesthetically flexible, and shaped by market sensibilities. By situating these practices within the context of Indonesia’s Muslim-majority digital culture, the study contributes to existing debates on modest fashion, entrepreneurial femininity and hijaber respectability, while also challenging Global North-centric narratives by foregrounding Southeast Asian perspectives on influencer labor, visual piety, and commercial agency.