My Perfect "Finsta"

"If you look at my official WhatsApp account or my profile with the matchmaker, you'll see a model of communal righteousness: long skirts, quotes from the weekly Torah portion, photos from charity fairs in Houston. My shadchan considers me the perfect quiet girl.

But I have a 'finsta' (a secret, deeply hidden social media account) and an anonymous profile on Reddit. There I write reviews of intricate psychological thrillers, discuss quantum physics, listen to indie rock, and talk with people whose views are far broader than the boundaries of our community. I'm forced to lead this double life, because if anyone found out about my real interests, my shidduch reputation would be finished. I'd be deemed 'spiritually unstable.' It's terribly exhausting — constantly changing masks and panicking that my phone might be left on the table screen-up. I dream of meeting a guy I can show my real playlists to, but on official dates everyone keeps playing the roles from the script."