Canadian teacher's viral outfits are taking over TikTok: 'Doing my job and having fun'

Zahra Hassan is proud to be part of a new generation of stylish teachers.

The Canadian teacher — who goes by @misswondroussoul online — is taking social media by storm as she documents her unique workwear style on TikTok. As a result, she's making a name for herself as one of the country's most relatable and fashion-forward educators.

The Etobicoke, Ont.-based middle school teacher frequently posts day-in-the-life vlogs, and "What I wear as a teacher" content on TikTok. In fact, Hassan says that her students were the initial inspiration behind creating a TikTok account.

"Students would compliment my outfits every day until [they] suggested I create a TikTok account to showcase my teacher outfits," Hassan tells Yahoo Canada.

"I started recording my outfits before school in my new classroom, and then the first video I posted went viral overnight."

In what seemed like an overnight success story, Hassan initially felt overwhelmed when things all started happening at once.

"I woke up to endless notifications," the 28-year-old says. "But, after that, seeing my fashion TikToks go viral was cool because it shows that you can be professional and comfortable and still have a great sense of style."

In addition to her fashion, Hassan says that she enjoys using TikTok as a way to connect with others about the importance of representation in the classroom.

"I love sharing my perspective as a Black Muslim educator in a field where there aren't many of us," Hassan says. "I love it when young people in high school or university message me and tell me that my page is why they decided to pursue a teaching career."

Hassan is also passionate about using her platform as a way to share the day to day realities of being a teacher "who loves what they do."

"So many people perceive teaching as an 'easy' job because we have holidays and summers off," she says. "In contrast, with these vlogs and videos, [I hope] my audience sees the amount of effort, time, and hard work that goes into being a teacher."

TikTok has even become a way for Hassan to give back to her community, as she frequently highlights the work of organizations like Smile for Sache, located in Toronto, and the Fikia Dada Rescue Centre in Kenya, where she volunteers.

"I am a person of service, and I love creating content that allows people around the world to [learn about] great organizations that tie back to the importance of education," she says.

Since joining TikTok in 2020, Hassan has grown her platform to more than 73,000 followers, with her videos earning more than 2.6 million likes to date. She admits to feeling "grateful" for the love she's been receiving online, as well as the opportunity to connect with others.

"Many of the comments on my videos were from people who kept saying if they had a teacher that looked like me, they would have enjoyed learning and coming to class," Hassan says.

"It's fascinating the love I was receiving for just doing my job and having fun infusing my passion for fashion at the same time."

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