The Infidel “I”

Being a girl in a media-saturated world is one of the hardest situations. Young girls coming of age are bombarded by media feeds that urge them to follow behavioral patterns set by patriarchal culture. Offered as a manual on how to behave like a “good girl,” these patterns direct young girls’ energies towards unattainable ideals they try to live up to throughout their lives. They also offer girls a narrow perspective through which to view life and their identities. This distorted lens foregrounds some aspects of a woman’s life while downplaying others. It gradually naturalizes some patterns as the dominant socio-cultural norms that define a woman. Meanwhile, it punishes those resisting these current patterns and makes an “other” out of them. As a costly charge, young girls join the game and conform to the norms. Such adjustment puts such undue pressure on the girls that they eventually feel worn out. For those who refuse to conform, the situation is by far worse. Labeled unwomanly, these girls are excluded not only by society but also by their fellow women. Since they look different, these girls are treated as traitors and otherized as infidels, despite all the social and educational success they may have achieved.