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This is going to be a rant.
Elite's Nadia is a character I can relate to on a personal level, and here's why I'm thankful that her character exists:
Elite's Nadia is a character I can relate to on a personal level, and here's why I'm thankful that her character exists:
coming from a conservative Muslim family, when I lived for a short while in the west, I was faced with the dilemma of wanting to not disappoint my family back home, wanting to keep my Muslim identity, & at the same time, not be seen as an old-fashioned girl from the global south.
I wanted to have fun and make the best out of the short while I had. I wanted to be like my peers, to go out, to drink, to mingle with the opposite sex. At the same time, I know that this isn't necessarily Islamic, and I know that this would bring shame to my family.
I get jealous of girls my age, who had the freedom to show skin. Who were free to wear beautiful dresses and wear shorts and tank tops when the heat was rather unbearable.
I had to keep my shoulders and knees covered, my cleavage hidden... I felt like a bird locked in a cage, while other birds were able to fly freely.
here comes the identity crisis:
In Europe, I was part of the religious minority that is very misunderstood. That every step I took reeks of "you're oppressed". Being there as a so-called youth ambassador, I had to introduce my culture, and that included my religion.
In Europe, I was part of the religious minority that is very misunderstood. That every step I took reeks of "you're oppressed". Being there as a so-called youth ambassador, I had to introduce my culture, and that included my religion.
I wanted to believe that I am not oppressed. But the fact that I wanted to try a lot of things, but I couldn't, as I was confined within this invisible cage of not wanting to be a disappointment to my family was oxymoronic to what I was trying to believe in.
I see that in Nadia: she is a girl who loves her culture, religion, and parents. But at the same time, she is a mere 17-year-old who wants to be on the same page as her peers. She was a bird locked in a pretty cage while her friends were free to roam in a messed up world.
I don't see Guzmán as a "white savior"—he actually encouraged Nadia to not change for him. And that was how I felt my friends were towards me; they were still willing to be friends with me, despite my different values, but still, the jealousy is there;
my 'Westerner' friends had great respect towards me and my culture (ignorant questions once in a while exist too), but it didn't change the fact that I wanted to be like them. And at the same time, I didn't want to disappoint anyone back home.
Nadia represents my confusion, my dilemma, I see myself in her. I see how she struggles to keep her family's identity because she was trying to find her own true identity. I see how hard she tries to fit in while trying to not disappoint anyone at the same time.
and for that, I am glad that she exists. I am sure I am not the only religious woman feeling this way. I am sure that there are thousands of girls like Nadia out there.
