For young women everywhere, facing society's expectations can be exhausting as they struggle to find their own paths under society's judgmental eyes.
Just like every society imposes certain ideals and traditions on young men and women expecting them to fit the molds it has created for them, Egypt is no exception.
From the hilarious to the annoying to the downright insulting, young Egyptian women often find themselves dodging those expectations in the form of these old tired phrases and questions. Will people just stop saying them already?
1. "I wish you get married too!"
It doesn't matter if it's an engagement party, an extravagant wedding or just a casual gathering with friends, any time a hint of marriage is in the air, every young Egyptian woman braces herself to start counting the number of times she hears this annoying pleasantry from every single person in the room. We get it people, you want everyone to get married.
2. "Is nothing going on at all in the relationship department?"
If you're a young Egyptian woman, you've heard this every single time you've encountered an aunt, uncle, cousin, or extremely distant relative. It doesn't matter how well or little you know them, they will ask you about your personal life with a sneaky smile, because how dare they not inquire about your future marriage prospects?
3. "Engineering is not for girls. You have to go to art school!"
It seems that no matter how much women advance in hard sciences, Egyptian mothers will still continue to think their girls need to study pretty things you can be hang on a pretty wall.
4. "When will we celebrate your marriage?"
Ten seconds after an Egyptian woman graduates, this one starts rolling in, because now that she's done with college, it's the perfect time to start pestering her about getting married as soon as possible.
5. "If you don't learn to cook now, how will you raise a family?"
Perhaps kitchen experience just isn't on the top of her priority list at the moment. Just like every young Egyptian woman is tired of hearing this, I'm sure every Egyptian mother is also tired of saying it. Why can't we just eliminate this phrase once and for all?
6. "You have to clean the dishes, because you're the girl."
For most Egyptian parents, it doesn't matter how many children they have, the girl will probably still get the largest share of the housework. Why can't siblings just split chores equally?
7. "You can't drive, don't bother trying."
If you're an Egyptian woman who drives, you've probably heard this at some point. Maybe you heard it jokingly from your male friends or from half a dozen strangers screaming it at you from their car windows on the road. Either way, it gets old.
8. "If you don't clean your room, how will you be responsible for a home someday?"
Although acquiring some cleaning skills is a plus for any young adult who will eventually leave the house they grew up in, this classic mother's phrase is rarely directed towards young Egyptian men.
9. "You have to socialize with every eligible young bachelor at weddings."
As if the aforementioned Egyptian wedding phrases weren't annoying enough for young women, they also have to hear this friendly advice from their families and friends, because what is the point of going to a wedding if you don't end up finding your future husband?
10. "Don't think about sports, muscles aren't feminine."
You'd think this phrase would come from men, but women often hear this from other women. No wonder female athletes are scarce in Middle Eastern societies.
11. "You have to get married before 30."
A phrase young women everywhere have probably heard directly or indirectly, but perhaps it isn't quite the end of the world if a young woman doesn't get married at the time society thinks is suitable.