Shelly

What does life as a woman or girl look like in your country/city/town/village? Any issues/challenges?

Life, generally isn’t easy, but life as a woman is tough. We are taught at a very young age how to be a good woman, wife, mother etc. As a woman having a goal that is outside the regular social/cultural views is quite a lot to handle because (majority of) people won’t understand your needs to be different. 
I started being independent at a very young age when I realized that if I kept on being dependent on those around me, I might likely end up in a place where happiness isn’t welcome. My sister once told me how my personality as a woman will be a disadvantage if I joined the force, how my personality will be the cause of my not getting married if I had studied law. She says because I like to do things in a way people are not use to and men can’t handle women they can’t control, how being a conventional Muslim is also a disadvantage.

I am 27, not married and somehow I wish I didn’t listen to her those times.  

Girls are trained to accept all kinds of things, good/bad/ugly. We are trained to know how no matter our level of education it all ends up in the kitchen, we are accept that men are cheats and women who cheat are not of God, we are trained to put every other person's (read: husband) interest above us. We are trained to know how praying and fasting can change a violent man or how the man’s job in the house is to just provide. I could go on and on but I will stop here. 

Being a girl in my country (in a nutshell):
Single + successful = prostitution
Single + successful = sleeping in return for favors
Singleness is a disease

It goes on and on. 

I hope to live in a world where women are treated as we truly are. 
 


What would you like the world to know about you? What life experience, challenge or achievement do you want to share?  

I am a work in progress from the negativity which has being the cause of my setback, the voices that keeps saying I can’t do it or won’t make it. 
I have identify the voices and I’m shutting it down and I wish every girl/woman can do the same. 
We are stronger than we know and with our hearts in the right places, we can grow/build a nation that is filled with love

Complete this sentence: "To be a girl or woman today, is to be..."  

Strong
Positive
Filled with love

Never let anyone get you down!