Fatma

Throughout my life, I’ve had people tell me that women are less than men, and I haven’t even been alive for very long. People tell me that the WNBA is not as good as the NBA, and that I probably can’t name more than three good female rappers (I definitely can: Queen Latifah, Yo-Yo, MC Lyte, Left Eye, Da Brat, etc.). I’ve realized how weird it is that some things have been constantly drilled into our minds, to the point where we think these things are right.

I have always struggled to understand why it was assumed my brother wouldn’t shave his legs but I would. I have never understood why at the age of 10—although I was still a child—I had to stop wearing shorts above my knees because it was deemed unsuitable. I still don’t understand why girls are made fun of for having natural facial hair, or for not threading their eyebrows. Why are girls brought up to think that diamonds are their best friend, and not that they can be their own best friend? This all relates to my absolute hate for the over-sexualisation of young female bodies. I find it sad that I have to change what I want to wear, or how I want to look because of a potential sexual predator on the bus or a creepy boy at school.

I’m also extremely confused as to why so few people exposed me to true, empowering female role models like Salt-N-Pepa. Luckily, I have a cool sister who showed me groups such as TLC, and singers like Aaliyah. However, I had to discover most of these people by myself, and in a way I’m happy about that because I found them at the perfect time. These singers told me that it’s not OK for someone to call you a bitch, or for someone to tell you that they’re higher than you.

Being a girl in this world is scary. I try to act strong, as if I can really make an imprint on our world, but it’s hard to do so. Mainly, I wish that all people on this earth will have their freedom. ♦