Living in Egypt or most of the Middle East as a girl is something painful in itself, but sometimes it seems that others have secretly agreed to make it even more painful for girls by telling them these five sentences that rule their lives:
1. “Your home is where your husband is”
Right after you graduate from college, and sometimes before graduation, your family will start pushing you towards marriage, convincing you that this is the appropriate way to a have a complete, independent life. They will start to limit your actions to the point that you eventually will give up and get married simply “to be independent”.
2. “Your career should not be your first priority”
Society has decided to set your priorities and they have put your career as a second to last option. Whatever, they do not understand why you are putting so much effort into building a decent career as long as your husband will pay the bills!
3. “You cannot live in another country alone”
If you are a lucky girl, your family will let you do your masters in another country, but if you got a job offer in another place, no matter how attractive it is or how responsible you are, (mostly) you will not be able to take such an opportunity because “you will be alone” and everyone knows that is just not allowed…
4. “Your outfit is not appropriate for ‘us’”
We, girls, all suffer from this perception on different levels; if you want to wear a dress to work, you will definitely be sexually harassed. But if you are wearing a normal pair of jeans, you will be… wait for it… sexually harassed, too! Stay home or do not leave your car to be safe, or “dress appropriately”. And no one defines what “appropriately” exactly means.
5. “You think you’re beautiful?”
Well, because we live in a country that judges people by their looks, it is completely allowed for others to underestimate you if you are not beautiful (in their eyes). We have all heard that famous sentence, ” Why is she doing that, what, does she think she is beautiful or something?”
WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss 10 Egyptian Concepts that Need to Change.