Does My Head Look Big In This?

Simone tells Amal and Eileen that her mom is pressuring her to lose weight, and that “I need to work on making the rest of my body more attractive” (58), and they reassure her that she looks good regardless of the unrealistic standard set by the popular culture.

Amal goes out to the Lounge Room with her friends, even though she feels uncomfortable. The friendly waiter, Ray, is taken aback and acts formal, but Amal decides to sit it through and ends up having a good time. She also decides she needs new clothes, but her arrangement to go shopping with Yasmeen and Leila falls through as Leila’s mom, who married at 16 and is uneducated, forbids her to go, believing nice clothes and makeup are sinful. Amal discusses the situation with her mom who advises her to “try to expand your mind and think about things from other people’s perspectives” (63). Leila comes to dinner, and she and Amal discuss how poor education and “backward interpretation of Islam” (65) make it almost impossible for Leila’s mom to understand her ambitions.