Blerina
Vrenozi

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Photos by Adnan Beci, reporting by Briseida Mema and Camille Bouissou

Sonore 1
When I was in high school, we had to write an essay in literature class, and I chose to write it as if I were a boy. And to be honest, in this patriarchal society and with all the challenges I’ve been through, I would have had a much easier life if I had been a boy. Much easier. It’s not easy to be a woman in a small country where society is still patriarchal.
Sonore 2
I also want to add the fact that, as a woman, I was always told: “Leave your studies, find a man, get married, start a family.” That weighed on me heavily. A person shouldn’t be held back just because of their gender — whether female or male. And even now people still tell me: “Stop. Stop studying. Think about the other things too.” That’s prejudice. The prejudice of being a woman.
Sonore 3
Actually, I had support from my family. In Albania there are still parents — not from my parents’ generation, but from my own or even younger — who don’t allow their children to study. My parents never stood in my way. They supported me. While many of my friends from elementary or high school were married off early, I wasn’t stopped. “Whatever you want to do, do it,” my parents told me. Just shine.
Sonore 4 
In the capitalist world, the weak one is the one who cannot achieve great things. You have to be very strong to face this reality. Especially when you live in a male-dominated reality where you have to work twice as hard to prove that you are worth it. That’s why I want to say that not giving up, keeping a positive spirit — that is extremely important if you want to move forward. When you fall, you have to find the strength to get up twice as determined. You must never give up.
Sonore 5 
When I was studying in Germany, my colleagues — I’m a typical Mediterranean woman who likes to take care of herself, to do her makeup, to dress nicely within normal standards — but I like to look put-together. My colleagues in Germany didn’t even wear makeup and mostly wore trousers, while I wore dresses too. And just based on my appearance, they would say: “Who are you? A princess?” Meanwhile, I was working from eight in the morning until eight in the evening.
Sonore 6
So here, the judgment is really about the fact that these women are just fabricated television characters — they’re not normal, they’re not real. On the other hand, when you’re abroad you can also feel judgment, but not because they’re artificial or made-up. The judgment is about a woman taking care of her appearance. For example, in the Mediterranean region or here in Albania, if a woman likes to do a bit of makeup or dress in a feminine way, you feel that prejudice.
Sonore 7
Since my data is available online, I’m now managing to connect what was my dream and my parents’ dream — to become a doctor, doctor, from both my father and mother — and now I’m leaving a mark on people by helping them as much as I can through television appearances, by making the scientific material I have published and studied about “Black Widows” as accessible as possible. And so this is a wish, let’s say, that has shown me that a person must never give up. You must never abandon your dream. I wanted medicine. I started with biology. I embraced that profile fully, gave the best of myself, and again things turned around, turned around, and came to exactly the point I wanted.

My name is Blerina Vrenozi, I’m 44 years old and I’m a Researcher/lecturer at the University of Tirana, Albania. My passion is my work, which is not only about publishing scientific articles in well‑known international journals, but also about inspiring others to grow, within the research community and in society, through mentoring and media outreach, with the message: “If she could do it, I can do it too.”

Happiness is reflected in several steps in my professional life – from dedicating my PHD to my beloved late grandfather to have a butterfly new to science named after, Melanargia galathea vrenozina.

I faced several challenges in my professional work, which were mainly related to being a woman, being attractive, and hardworking. My biggest challenge was to find my inner peace, smile at each of them, and keep going on.

Coming from a modest family, I am proud of all my work achievements, to have survived in a society environment, where females are seen as reproductive human beings, and not supported in their professional lives, where every step is seen as suspicious and targeted as such, and where coming from a modest family leaves you unsupported. I am so proud to say to myself, "YOU DID IT, SMILE AND KEEP GOING".

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"And to be honest, in this patriarchal society and with all the challenges I’ve been through, I would have had a much easier life if I had been a boy. Much easier."

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"Leave your studies, find a man, get married, start a family."

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"In the capitalist world, the weak one is the one who cannot achieve great things. You have to be very strong to face this reality. Especially when you live in a male-dominated reality where you have to work twice as hard to prove that you are worth it. That’s why I want to say that not giving up, keeping a positive spirit — that is extremely important if you want to move forward."

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