Itโs undeniable that we live in a conservative society, even if it superficially seems otherwise. Being a girl in a seemingly pious society could be infuriating in many ways; some girls actually find it liberating to get hitched as a mean of escapism. Finding prince charming is no longer the modern girlโs dream; finding Mr. Rich who can afford the bills is!
It can be unmistakably noted that across the different segments of our society, particularly among the low middle class, that some girlsโ main objective is to ultimately find the โoneโ. Even though she might have a reputable degree or work for a renowned establishment, she still thinks marriage is an inevitable life-changing experience she needs to go through before reaching a certain age โ ideally25 years old-.
Look at any traditional Egyptian family, we find the mother always worried about her daughter and seeks to โsecureโ her through marrying her off then waiting for her conceive. We can see this stereotypical mentality being reinforced since the daughterโs puberty and well into her teenage years.
From my point of view above, it might seem that Iโm anti- marriage. Conversely, I vigorously and sincerely support anyone who has a valid and honest opinion about marriage; they have my full respect and awe. Arranged marriages arenโt shameful and being single is definitely not something to brag about. I see a lot of โarranged marriedโ couples who are extremely successful, happy, understating and above all respectful of each other.
On the other hand there are types of girls we often bump into on social media platforms- who keep bragging about being single, claiming that men are always proposing to them (not quite sure if true).However they still wish to remain single for the sake of it. They constantly post about feminism, gender inequalities, and the like to flaunt their freedom and individuality.
For such girls, marriage might not even be a priority; their lifestyle or set of values exclude and discard the whole concept. Nevertheless, some other girls- whom I vaguely know, are swaggering of their marital status.
I attempted to get to know the reason behind their questionable behaviour. It came to my attention that maybe it is lack of self-confidence that propels them to practice such a behaviour. It could also be linked to their high exposure to social media platforms, their level of intellectuality, peer pressure from society, or the stigma of not being married for the rest of her life.
For some other girls out there, being a single isnโt a sign of your intellectuality nor independence, dears, wake up!
Written by: Lubna Nabil
