When Medill freshman Mfaz Mohamed Ali posted her first video on TikTok in 2020, she did not expect it to go viral.
But the 28-second clip launched a 5-year social media career, with Mohamed Ali amassing more than three million TikTok followers since her first post.
Under the username @hooodjabi, Mohamed Ali found her niche in comedy, skit and point-of-view videos. Using her experiences as a student to inspire her videos, she said she posts content that connects with her peers.
“I felt like I found a new community of people from all around the world,” Mohamed Ali said.
The first post
Before posting her first video on TikTok, Mohamed Ali expressed her comedic side through short videos on her Snapchat story.
As a former user of Musical.ly, a short-form video app predating TikTok, she was hesitant to download TikTok. She eventually caved and downloaded the app, fearing she was missing out on the latest trends and moments in pop culture.
She posted her first video during the COVID-19 pandemic out of boredom, drawing inspiration from attending school over Zoom. Her first video, posted in April 2020, gained quick traction — Mohamed Ali said she had to silence her notifications.
“I remember I’d stay up late (until) 3 a.m. just reading people’s comments,” Mohamed Ali said. “I just (thought), ‘Oh my god, they think I’m funny.’”
Mohamed Ali’s most popular videos are her teacher skits, in which she satirically mimics the mannerisms of high school teachers in different contexts, such as in Zoom breakout rooms and during parent-teacher conferences. In the comments section, viewers have lauded the skits’ accuracy and relatability.
Mohamed Ali’s first video has amassed more than one million views. Her most popular video, an impersonation skit of a teacher on lunch break posted in July 2020, has garnered more than 45 million views.
Her sister, Maab Mohamed Ali, often lent her voice to clips, and helped her film and brainstorm videos during the pandemic.
“She’s always been a funny person, so she needed to put that somewhere, and TikTok was the best option for her,” Maab Mohamed Ali said.
A student and a creator
While other prominent teenage TikTok content creators have dropped out of school to pursue social media careers full-time, Mohamed Ali said completing her education is a steadfast priority.
Her commitment to school has not been without its challenges. In high school, Mohamed Ali had to balance content creation with schoolwork and extracurricular activities, including speech and debate.
In 2022, she won the National Speech & Debate Tournament’s humorous interpretation category.
Mohamed Ali was recently featured in the documentary “Speak.” The film follows her and four other teenagers as they prepare for a national oratory contest and premiered at Sundance Film Festival in late January.
At Northwestern, Mohamed Ali balances content creation with her journalism coursework and extracurriculars such as the Muslim-cultural Students Association.
Weinberg freshman Layan Manasrah, a friend of Mohamed Ali’s, sometimes helps her create content.
“She’s always in a good mood, and if she’s struggling with something or something’s stressing her out, she’ll never make that anyone’s problem,” Manasrah said.
When juggling school responsibilities and content creation becomes overwhelming, Mohamed Ali said she stops posting altogether. In her free time, she sometimes pre-records videos to post in later weeks.
Mohamed Ali began her TikTok career posting nearly every day. Three years into content creation, she said her inspiration began to dwindle.
“It’s not enjoyable when you’re just thinking about the numbers, but it’s fun when you post just to actually have a good time,” Mohamed Ali said.
This year, her college experiences have sparked new content ideas. Her recent videos have included skits covering relatable topics for college students, such as course evaluations, syllabi and class requirements.
TikTok community
Mohamed Ali decided not to participate in the TikTok Creator Fund, a program that pays TikTok creators for their videos, because of warnings from other creators that involvement drops viewer engagement. Instead, she earns her income through brand deals. Her sponsorships have included jewelry, phone charm and health supplement brands.
Aside from brand deals, Mohamed Ali said an upside of her TikTok platform is having a fanbase. She said she enjoys meaningful engagements with her fans, whether through messaging them on Instagram, sending them surprise personalized videos or responding to their comments.
“They make the video 10 times funnier than it actually is,” Mohamed Ali said.
She has also received recognition from fellow prominent social media figures. Some of Mohamed Ali’s notable followers include influencer Dixie D’Amelio and influencer and podcaster Brittany Broski.
Although Mohamed Ali takes great pride in her positive interactions with fans, she said she has had some negative interactions, like receiving Islamaphobic and sexist comments.
“It’s not always direct hate, but it’s microaggression comments that people comment like, ‘Oh, my God, I didn’t know hijabis could be funny’ or, ‘Wow, I didn’t know women can be funny,’” Mohamed Ali said.
Mohamed Ali said she is thankful the hateful comments have never impacted her mental health. She added that her followers frequently come to her defense against such comments.
TikTok ban
When a potential TikTok ban loomed earlier this year, Mohamed Ali felt mixed emotions.
Mohamed Ali said she was disappointed in the overwhelming attention the impending TikTok ban received over other political issues.
Then, when she received the notification that the app had been officially banned in the U.S., reality struck. She said she felt sad about losing not just the app but also the friends she had met and the community she had joined on the app.
However, TikTok was quickly unbanned on Jan. 20 after a little more than 12 hours of users being unable to access the app.
With TikTok’s future uncertain, Mohamed Ali said she has considered switching platforms to YouTube. Still, she is hesitant because she said it is a larger time commitment, and it lacks the community she built on TikTok.
Representation
Mohamed Ali said she values having such a large platform because of the opportunity to represent hijabi women, especially in a comedic light.
“I don’t want to be recognized as a funny hijabi,” Mohamed Ali said. “I just want to be recognized as funny. That’s not revolutionary.”
Manasrah said it made her proud to see a hijabi woman have such a large platform and successful social media career. This is especially important because users may not always see Muslim women represented in the media, Manasrah said.
She added that she is proud of Mohamed Ali for all she has accomplished, both in speech and debate and on social media.
“She’s such an inspiration to so many people, especially hijabi women,” Manasrah said.
Throughout her social media journey, Mohamed Ali said she has made countless memories — all while staying true to herself.
Reflecting on the past five years, Mohamed Ali said she would tell her younger self, or anyone else starting out on social media to “post what you love and don’t let numbers overtake your joy for what you do.”
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
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