Influencer Shahd Batal on Leaving Social Media, the War in Sudan, and Rediscovering Herself [Video]

Shahd Batal has just moved into her apartment. Her newfound domesticity — which caps off a three-year-long, self-described “nomad era” — comes with its usual quirks. The internet is occasionally sticky, glitching the Zoom; the walls behind her are blank. Somewhere down the hall, a neighbor’s baby cries.

The Sudanese-American influencer has nearly 700,000 followers across Instagram and YouTube. Those who keep up with her videos may already know that Batal has chosen to settle in Dubai — for now. “I’m not gonna lie. I was a Dubai hater for a really long time,” she tells Teen Vogue. “I was just like, it’s so fake.” Seeing another side of the city, though, changed her mind.

And it seems to be going well. Batal’s building has a women-only gym, which she is excited about. In the Muslim-majority city, she finds a bit of anonymity. Her visible identities do not matter so much …