Who said that women are less feminine nowadays? Where did all of this come from? Social media rages about how ‘the good old days’ were so unique and glamorous. People will yell at the top of their lungs how ‘ladies’ of the past were chic, elegant, and far more sophisticated, whilst looking at women of this time and age and seeing mutants. Yes, MUTANTS! You heard me right… Men would step up and say that if you are born in the 80s and are now in your 30s, you are a definite mix of man and woman! My grandma would stare at my cousin’s torn jeans, roll her eyes, and mumble ‘girls today suck!’. Do we really? Are we that terrible? If we are, why? Let’s have a look at how our day starts in comparison to my dissatisfied grandma…
Have you seen the streets of Cairo recently? Last I checked they are covered in all sorts of crap! From dust to mud; we dive into ponds and ponds of yuck and dirt everywhere we go. There is no such thing as a real pavement in Cairo, nor is there a paved street in sight. There are holes everywhere we go and they are usually filled with filth. My suggestion would be, before you roll your eyes at my new sketchers or give an ugly comment about how my flat sneakers are making me look more like a man; take a walk down the streets of Cairo and tell me how your 9inch heels would do.
Have you heard about the Olympics? I know we have seen so many Egyptian legends at the Olympics across the years. Male legends… Today we have female champs who raise the bar so high for anyone to reach. So while you were knitting your scarves watching the 3000th episode of your favorite show, some women were actually out there working their ass off in practice. Waking up at 5:00am every day, trying to balance practice-time with work-time and trying to actually have a life in between all so that she can one day carry the flag so high and claim an accomplishment like no other. Can you really imagine her in a corset? Narrowing down your waist line to a few inches is not an accomplishment believe me, being an Olympic champion is for sure!
Do you know what it feels like working in a bank? A hospital? A school? Or even worse an agency?! No! Well let me give you a brief outline… You run around like a maniac from one office to the other. You have a to-do list of 400 ‘urgent’ tasks to get done throughout the day. Speaking of the day, it’s endless! You take work home, you work from your car, you are on conference calls trying to calm down an angry client whilst writing down the year’s budget for approvals. You have a shooting to run to because your campaign is due in 3 days! You meet all sorts of people, nagging people, happy people, and annoying people and you keep a smile all throughout because that, my dear, is how you get business done.
Now imagine the above scenario, and imagine you in a full flowing silk dress… tell me how this will work? Will you be able to run around between rooms, calls, and people without your dress getting in the way? How will you move between the children in your class making sure that they don’t tear down your tail with their steps? My jeans, god bless, are a blessing! Those dark black pants keep me safe and happy! Coffee spills won’t show, kids’ footsteps aren’t a problem, running is now feasible. So unless you have a day like mine, do not judge my denim, embrace them!
A stay-at-home mom is now a stay-at -home, full-time, hard-working, non-paid mom. This means: the 6:00am school drive; back home to open up and give instructions to the maid followed by driving to the supermarket; getting your groceries, vegetables, eggs, and driving to your in-laws to pick up your mother-in-law; driving her to the bank and waiting for an hour; taking her back home; calling your mom on the way; getting her some bread; dropping it off at her house; flying back to yours; preparing lunch; packing it into your tupperwear; driving back to school; picking up the kids; opening the tupperwear in the car; talking for an hour about the benefits of broccoli; getting food spilled all over you; parking in the club; running to practice, where the elder trains whilst the younger runs around like a maniac playing with every possible dirty thing he can find; driving back home; sitting for homework; preparing dinner; forcing everyone to sleep and rewind! Now grandma, please tell me how do you think this lovely stay-at-home mom can get all this done in her Victorian chiffon blouse? Or how do you think her really expensive feather robe de chambre would look? I bet the feathers wouldn’t last long around the kids! A stay-at-home mom is now a bigger job than those who work at a bank! So no, feathers won’t work, heels can’t do, flowing dresses will hinder, and chiffon blouses will turn into rags in no time.
The truth is, yes, the past was far more glamorous and beautiful. The truth is that we have lost the true definition of fashion somewhere between our runs. The truth is also, however, that we are as feminine as can be! Only we now believe that it’s not about your short skirts or about how small your waist is! It’s really about how you would like to be remembered one day. It’s about how many accomplishments you completed throughout the day. Femininity is now not about the dress, it’s about the mind and soul… it’s about who you really are and how you contribute to the community around you. I have nothing against looking good, but I for sure will not stand back whilst everybody throws stones at the hardworking mother, woman, wife, sister, daughter and granddaughter that I am… for I, and you, are one of a kind! Amen!
Follow Nora Mostafa, the Egyptian Fatonista, on Instagram @fat_o_nista.