1-Who is Sherine Arafa, and how would you like to introduce yourself?
I don’t usually know how to answer this question, because I’m a very normal person but if I can give myself credit for anything, it would be creativity. I’m always trying to search for my purpose and how I can serve others, even if it’s just through humour, and It means a lot to me when someone tells me that my videos inspire them, because we all have things that inspire us and keep us motivated and I’m glad I can be part of that. As well as being a good mother and a good wife!
2- Your father is a very talented director, as well as your uncle, have you ever wanted to try that career path?
Yes actually, when I was in college I wanted to become a director, but my dad didn’t want me to enter that field, because of “eastern beliefs”, that if I take that career path, I won’t be able to get married, I won’t have a personal life, I won’t be home till very late at night and back then I didn’t have the same determination I have now so I just let it go, but I feel like everything I’ve done in the past has led me to what I do now since I’ve tried so many different fields ,from jewellery designing all the way to acting, which my dad didn’t approve of at all and I didn’t want to battle him in his own field so I quit, and I finally realized that creating digital content and making videos to portray certain messages is what I truly want to do.
3-Tell us a bit about ‘its show time’ and why you left.
The show started off as a very different programme and I got to choose how I’ll do each interview, and the format, and everything, but then there were a lot of things I couldn’t do because it was beyond the show’s guidelines so I felt very restricted. Then there were a lot of interviews I started to decline, because for me personally, If I’m not interested in you or what you do, I can’t fake it, and I was starting to come off unprofessional, so I realized that the show wasn’t for me anymore.
4-Did you have any favourite episodes?
Honestly, all of them, because every episode and every guest was different so there was always something I enjoyed in each episode, but obviously Yossra can’t be compared to anyone as she practically raised me!
5-So, you studied fashion design and had your own clothing line in 2012, tell us about that.
I always wanted to study abroad and didn’t understand why my parents didn’t let me when I was younger, so when my husband and I moved to turkey I wanted to study something new there and it just so happened to be fashion design. I was never a person that did that well at school, but because of my excitement about studying abroad and how much I enjoyed it, I was an actual nerd, and I put in so much effort that when we came back to Egypt I created my clothing line regardless of the obstacles I faced, because I believe that if a person truly wants do something, they’ll do it, and anything that we say will hold us back is just an excuse we give ourselves out of fear. Then I was pregnant and my whole mindset changed and I decided that I wanted to dedicate myself to being a good, educated mother so I left the fashion design industry.
6-First, we’d like to thank you for the campaign you did for women empowerment! Do you think that this upcoming generation can change things as big as law in favour of women?
I definitely think that things can change for the better, but the law will only change here if people cooperate and continue raising awareness, because the law isn’t everything, people are still very ignorant and unaware of how disgusting our society is! It is also a responsibility on “public figures”, and “influencers” as there isn’t a single person that is not on social media, and without realizing it, the internet has just as much of an impact on kids as parents do, so we need to do better and fix things before it’s too late.
7-Lastly, what’s a message you’d like to send out to all the women that follow you.
Please dont stop raising awareness about sexual harassment and topics you’re passionate about. Don’t stop evolving, find your purpose and find out how you can serve others, be a better person, try to spend less time on your phone and don’t be a follower, try new things, and find new hobbies. Always remember that we’re all human beings, we came here the same way and we’re leaving the same way, so stop putting labels. Lastly, unfollow people that post negative, or unnecessary content, and keep your feed a place that brings you happiness and motivates you to keep going.
Interview by: Malak Eldawy.