The Double Life of the Moroccan Girl: Who We Are vs. Who We Have to Be

The lines between who we are and who we’re told to be blur every day, and the weight of this contradiction is unbearable.

Fez – Moroccan girls often live with a constant weight on their shoulders. We are forced to balance two different identities, one for the world and one for ourselves.

At home, we laugh freely, dream big, and express our personalities without holding back.

But once we step outside, everything changes. We lower our voices, adjust our clothes, and become careful with our words and actions.

Society watches closely, ready to judge, to shame, to remind us of the “proper” way to behave.

But perfect for who? For the same people who break the rules behind closed doors? For the same men who preach respect but seek out what they claim to condemn?

For the same women who judge us but defend their own when they break the same so-called rules?

It’s a cruel game. They tell us to be pure, yet they give men the freedom to do whatever they want.

They tell us to respect tradition, but they bend those traditions when it suits them.

They say family honor depends on us, but where is their honor? Why does it never seem to depend on them?

And if we dare to live authentically, we are labeled. If we speak up, we are “too much.” If we remain silent, we are “weak.”

If we choose love, we are “shameless.” If we wait, we are “old.” No matter what we do, we lose.

Every day, we watch as girls are forced to lie to survive. They pretend to be the “good” girl to avoid being disowned.

They hide their struggles because of what others might say. They suffocate under a set of rules that even the rule-makers don’t follow.

The question is: When will it stop? When will Moroccan girls be allowed to live freely, without the constant fear of judgment? When will society confront its hypocrisy? When will we be allowed to just be?

It’s time for a change, not only in Morocco, but girls all over the world who face these pressures. It’s time to call out these double standards.

It’s time to refuse to play this game anymore.

Moroccan girls deserve to live without pretending. They deserve to be themselves, everywhere they go.