The meanings of the word ‘virginity’ are abundant, both physical and metaphorical.But it seems that the majority of us are focused on only one of those meanings; namely a woman having an intact hymen. It is commonly – and wrongly – understood that an intact hymen is an indicator of good morals the likes of…

Many of us joke about having superpowers and how being a woman in this day and age requires having paranormal capabilities that are nothing less than a touch of divinity. Sure, we say that jokingly, but we also secretly believe it. Deep inside your deepest of thoughts, you do believe that you have superpowers. Otherwise,…

New Years are almost immediately associated with New Year resolutions. Rarely do you think of the first without finding the latter clinging to it with your next thought. We all know out of experience how difficult keeping a New Year resolution can be. I’m sure you have failed at keeping some of yours, maybe even…

“Cairo’s in-your-face-24-hours-a-day attributes swallow you whole!”     Egypt is a country where to we know for a fact that we belong but still feel like aliens. In an attempt to decipher our relationship with this land we live in, I have found that the contradictions within us are so forceful that we love and…

Between Chaos and Charm Cairo is a difficult city to live in. It’s harsh and unforgiving, often rebelling against its residents and raging war against them for mistreating her. It’s perfectly understandable; we treat the city cruelly and it treats us cruelly in return.   Among all the chaos that is this city, we find…

Since the dawn of civilization, it has been believed that men and women were created with different roles to carry out in life; a set of responsibilities and duties that are meant to be executed and on which our physiques were designed and created. Men, being the physically stronger gender, are meant to work and…

It is often said that knowing the problem is half the solution, and that establishing an understanding of its dimensions is what allows you to overcome it. This applies to all aspects of life, be them about your work, a family problem, an illness, a physical disability, or even a social disability. Human behaviour, however,…

“This country needs group therapy.”   We’ve all heard and said these words at least once in the past three years, and, to be honest, it rings very true. The pressures we’ve been through lately have not only been tremendous, but constant. Most of us haven’t been given a chance to break the vicious cycle…

Cairo is a city rich with architecture. It has witnessed countless changes throughout history and has gone through many phases of development, and deterioration. The architectural icons in this city are splendid, and can even be confusing at times. Eras of history and civilizations are immediately evident wherever you go and, with a keen eye,…

One of the common things talked about among women of modern times is how they believe the world would be a better place if women ruled. “It’s been a man’s world for far too long,” they say. “Give the women a chance! We’ll definitely do a better job!” There is no denying that it is…

This species of ours is obsessed with labeling every single aspect of our lives with two words; right and wrong. We talk, act, think, preach, judge and even breathe based on what we perceive to be right and wrong. We categorize what is “right” as something that will supposedly end well and what is “wrong”…

Reality alert: Don’t believe those who say that 30s are the new 20s, or that any particular age group represents any other age group. It’s a myth. Now, for the real deal. 30s are 30s, and 20s are 20s, and that’s the bottom line. Being in your 20s is great! It’s the dawn of adulthood…

“Women see and hope for tomorrow, while men simply act on impulse and don’t plan so far ahead”   It is safe to say that men and women are different. We function differently, process things differently, prioritize differently; we simply understand life differently in many of its aspects. These differences go as deep as our motives…

Though making a serious decision to contribute or donate time, effort or money to charity is not very easy, what is even harder is deciding who or where to contribute to. In a city that is as chaotic as our Cairo, finding valid and reliable information about charity organization – or anything else for that…

You’ve been feeling a little blue the past few days. You can’t wait till you get your salary or allowance or whatever your source of income is. You hold the money in your hand, get into your car and race towards the beauty salon to get your hair coloured. In another scenario, you race towards…

 Marriage is one of the most major, life-altering decisions made by man on a daily basis. In a world where we are in a constant search for true love; a significant other who will hopefully make our days happier and who will help us become better individuals, we find ourselves in situations where we must…

In these twisted times we live in, the word “charity” usually conjures an image in our minds that is – in reality – as far as can possibly be from the truth. After decades of distorted media messages and even more years of stereotyping, charity is now associated with fancy events, shimmery gowns and tuxedos,…

Doing good in this world is hard. Being nice to people can be a real challenge sometimes and being generous with our acts of kindness does not always leave us feeling serene and at peace.     As human beings, it is in our nature to be selfish. We are not givers; we are takers.…

“It’s true that an independent woman does not exactly need a man in her life, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want one”   There are three sides to every story; my side, your side and the truth. I use that saying often and I am a strong believer in it. This belief urges me…

Since the dawn of civilization, it has been believed that men and women were created with different roles to carry out in life; a set of responsibilities and duties that are meant to be executed and on which our physiques were designed and created. Men, being the physically stronger gender, are meant to work and…

 By the time you swear you’re his, Shivering and sighing, And he vows his passion is Infinite, undying – Lady, make note of this: One of you is lying. – Dorothy Parker   Human instinct drives us to find company. We are not a species that enjoys solitude, at least not by nature, and we…

Cairo is one hell of a noisy city. No matter what time of the day it is and no matter where you are, you will constantly be exposed to sounds and noises that are unasked for and that are definitely unwelcomed. These noises are a part of who we are now. We have become a…

I was flipping through an old magazine recently and I found a poll titled “Should Men be Whipped or Worshiped?” with several opinions from males and females listed underneath. Many of the opinions I read were quite sarcastic, specially the ones that were given by men. Needless to say, most of them voted for being…

She knew she wanted to become an architect and designer since she was 11 years old and pursued her dream relentlessly until it became a world-renowned smashing success. She started her own practice in London in 1980 and, in 2004, she became the first female recipient of the ’Pritzker Architecture Prize’, which is one the…

For millions of years mankind lived just like the animals, Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination; We learned to talk… – Pink Floyd (Keep Talking)* Speech is perhaps one of the most important attributes of humankind. Without it, life would simply be unlivable, not to mention that it would be nothing…

                                        A s modern intellectual women living in this country, we have all interacted with male friends and the depth of our relationships with many of them goes beyond mere hellos and goodbyes. We are capable of communicating with the opposite sex as intellectuals and of having mature conversations and exchange in opinions that go…

This Earth was created with a balance that is represented in everything around us; morning and night, happiness and sorrow, black and white and of course, our genders; male and female which are the yin and the yang that unite to form a perfect circle. Each of these two forces is a complete entity on…

Insomnia has a way of creeping up on you when you are in the most desperate need for sleep, and, with this uncalled for lack of it come the strangest thoughts into one’s head. During my latest affair with insomnia, the dominant thoughts that crowded my foggy brain were those of love…   "Love is…

It is a common belief and credo of life that we must learn from other people's experiences. Our parents, our friends, our superiors at work and even the gardener are willing and able to bestow their words of wisdom upon us, though we may not even ask for them sometimes. Humans are very similar and…

Cairo is a very harsh city. Surviving here is like surviving in the jungle without shelter or self-defence skills. The tall grey buildings and the unbearable amounts of smoke in the air suck the life out of us day in and day out. And yet, we are expected to keep smiling.   Some of us…

Magic, supernatural powers, astrology, witchcraft, fortune telling. All these concepts, and many more, are ones that we find attractive, sometimes even seductive. They tickle our curiosity and entertain us immensely and we find ourselves wanting to know more about them. Some of us go as far as seeking these methods to solve our problems, and…

The majority of Arab women share an insight on the men in our lives, specially our fathers, brothers and husbands. The deep carvings in our heritage have labelled men as superior to women in almost every aspect of our lives, even though we have proven the opposite time and again. At home, the men we…

Recently, I had a mind-stimulating conversation with some friends of mine that triggered the above statement in my mind. No, I am not a feminist. But let’s first agree on which definition of feminism is subject of this statement. In essence, being a feminist means that you are an advocate of equality between men and…

Sharing thoughts, feelings and ideas is one of the attributes that make us human. By nature, we are not a species that enjoys solitude, at least not often. We feel better when we speak our minds and ease our burdens by talking to loved ones or people we trust about our fears and our problems. …

Being the internet junky that I am means that I spend long hours online, sometimes reading insightful articles, others just completely wasting my time. Among the websites I spend time on is of course Facebook; that evil social networking website that has us all mesmerized and entertained with all the silliness going on within its…

In every workplace around the world, from Greenland to Australia, we are told to have a professional attitude and separate between our personal lives and our work. We hear phrases such as "it’s not personal" and "this is unprofessional" often and try our very best to abide by blurred rules of "professionalism" that basically translate…

Television is an integral – if not indispensable – part of our existence. No one lives without it, no one doesn't watch it, and no one even wants to consider surviving sans it. The second we step into our homes, we switch the television on and let it blabber away, regardless of whether or not…