Redefining “Good” and “Bad”: A Call for Gender Equality

 

Redefining “Good” and “Bad”: A Call for Gender Equality

Yesterday, I came across a picture that spoke volumes about bravery and pain. It featured a woman from Iran, stripping herself to the bare minimum in protest against the forced hijab—because clearly, the best way to demonstrate morality is by policing women’s clothing choices. Her action wasn’t some publicity stunt; it was an eruption of suppressed anguish. The message was clear: enough is enough. Yet, in the backdrop of this raw protest, one can’t help but imagine the “moral police” clutching their pearls, frantically flipping through rule books to figure out what part of the holy manual could address such boldness.

This morning, a friend of mine posted something on Facebook that stirred my thoughts further. She shared the traditional definitions of a “good girl” and a “bad girl,” handed down like sacred commandments by a society that seems to believe it’s doing women a favor. According to this definition, a “good girl” is someone who obeys, keeps quiet, and basically plays the part of a well-trained houseplant. Meanwhile, a “bad girl” is anyone who dares to ask, “Wait, why?” What an outrage! Imagine women demanding autonomy. Shocking, isn’t it?

Of course, I had to chime in. Here’s the thing: the so-called “bad girl” isn’t bad at all—she’s just tired of being told that her worth is tied to how little space she takes up in the world. She’s the brave one, the one with enough courage to call out the nonsense and refuse to play along. And that traditional “good girl”? Let’s be honest—she’s been reduced to nothing more than a puppet, applauded for keeping her head down and her voice lower. If society’s definition of a “good girl” involves obedience bordering on submission, then maybe we need to redefine what being “good” really means.

The media isn’t exactly helping here. Take Pakistani dramas, for example, where the gold standard for female characters seems to be suffering silently and sacrificing their dreams for ungrateful relatives. Even when a character dares to rebel, by the end, she’s back to serving chai and apologizing for being bold. Bollywood, at least, has shown some progress. Women there are starting to push back on screen, and audiences are loving it. But before we celebrate too much, let’s not ignore the comedy shows where women are still the punchline of every third joke. And guess what? There’s barely a whisper of protest. So, while Bollywood may be spinning tales of revolution, society still clings to its outdated scripts.

Let’s talk about heroes for a moment—real ones, like the woman from Iran. She’s not a “bad girl.” She’s a symbol of strength and defiance in a world that desperately needs more of both. The kind of hero we should be celebrating. But instead, we still have society wringing its hands over things like virginity, as if it’s a certificate of morality. And why is this obsession only directed at women? Because clearly, men’s value isn’t tied to such trivialities. After all, the same religious authorities who preach about modesty and purity are also promising “72 virgins” as some ultimate reward. Consistency much?

It’s time to move past these archaic ideas and start redefining womanhood. Being obedient and submissive doesn’t make someone a “good girl”—it makes them a convenient one. Real strength lies in courage, independence, and the audacity to demand better. Until we embrace these qualities as virtues, society will remain stuck in the same outdated cocoon. Let’s finally celebrate the brave women who break the rules and refuse to apologize for it. Because if being a “bad girl” means standing up for what’s right, then the world could use a lot more “bad girls.”