western-fashion

Zoe stopped one last time in front of the mirror, adjusting her new American dress. She didn__ see the dress, however. She saw what the big Russian did to her. She saw what al-Qaeda did to her. She saw a person shunned by her Persian village. She saw ugliness. Every time she looked in the mirror she saw deficiency.

All the way, Zoe kept her chin up and pretended she wasn__ mortified, but his sour expression stayed with her. She wasn__ good at making American friends. She changed her language, conduct, and clothing, but it didn__ seem to matter. Whether she wore modest Middle-Eastern clothing or cute Western fashions, everyone knew she didn__ belong.