Once upon a time, in a bustling Asian city filled with humans, there lived an urban elf named Nadiya. Nadiya was unlike any other elf in the city, as she had a passion for fashion and a love for ice cream. She was always on the lookout for the latest fashion trends and would often be found at the city’s most fashionable boutiques and department stores. She had an Asian heritage, her almond-shaped eyes and delicate features made her stand out among other elves.
Nadiya’s love for fashion started when she was just a young elf. She would often sneak into her mother’s closet and try on her clothes and shoes. She loved the way the fabrics felt against her skin and how different styles and colors could make her feel. As she grew older, she began to develop her own unique and bold style, always mixing and matching different patterns to create a one-of-a-kind look. She became known among her friends and family as the fashionista of the city.
But Nadiya’s true love was ice cream. She could often be found browsing the city’s ice cream shops, trying out new flavors and experimenting with different toppings. She was particularly fond of mint chocolate chip ice cream, and would often add extra chocolate chips on top of her scoop. She even had a dream of one day opening her own ice cream shop, where she could combine her love of fashion with her love of ice cream and create the most stylish and delicious ice cream shop in the city.
She needed her mother’s magic to make the dream she dreamed come true. She spent many days in her mother’s library trying to learn how. After several days, tired and desperate to find a solution, she told her mother, “I read almost all the books in the library, but I didn’t find any magic to achieve my dreams.”
Her mother laughed and hugged her daughter and said, “because there is no magic involved! You have everything you need to succeed. Your talent and abilities; you just need to add perseverance to achieve success. Remember, daughter: I’m always ready to help you and I am proud of you. But the fact is, success is not achieved by magic. Success is the result of your own efforts.”
Her mother’s words lit a light in Nadiya’s mind. She knew her strengths, she just needed to show them to others.
Because elves live longer than humans, Nadiya the Elf had a complete knowledge of clothing and styles throughout history. She was a young elf but her mother’s photos and books showed earlier centuries, and many historical fashions could be found in her mother’s wardrobe. As for ice cream, Nadiya could make the best ice creams ever throughout history, with the same tastes and high quality.
She made a decision: she wanted to have an ice cream shop where her customers could eat ice cream belonging to the same time and place as the historical clothing and fashions she would keep and sell in the ice cream shop.
Through hard work Nadiya’s dream came true. She saved up money and found the perfect location for her ice cream shop. She named it “Fashion Scoops,” and decorated it with her own unique and trendy style. The shop had a vintage theme, with pastel colors and elegant chandeliers. The counter was made of pink marble and the ice cream was displayed in thick glass jars.
Her shop quickly became a hit with the city’s residents and tourists alike. Nadiya’s ice cream creations were the talk of the town, and she would often overhear customers praising her shop: “This ice cream is so delicious, I’ve never tasted anything like it before!” and, “Your shop is so beautiful and stylish, I feel like I’m in a fashion magazine!”
Inside Fashion Scoops, the coolness of the air and the aroma of sweet flavors fill your senses. You gaze around the room, taking in the walls that display the shimmering ice cream and the dresses that match the colors of each unique flavor. But it isn’t just the visual spectacle that captivates you; it’s the unexpected fusion of ice cream with fashion and fabric manipulation that sets this shop apart.
Hanging from the ceiling, you notice a dress that seems to defy gravity, its fabric flowing and swirling like a delicate cloud. Upon closer inspection, you realize that the dress is constructed from a myriad of ethereal materials, such as sheer organza, delicate feathers, and gossamer ribbons. It’s a whimsical creation with a sense of lightness and enchantment. In another corner, a dress catches your eye with its kaleidoscope of colors. The fabric seems to be alive, shimmering and shifting as if it were a living creature. As you touch the dress, you’re surprised by its texture—soft velvet combined with intricately woven metallic threads. It’s a tactile experience that merges the realms of fantasy and fashion.
Amidst this array of dresses, you come across a bodice that showcases an exquisite blend of textures. Designed by Issey Miyake, the bodice is embellished with delicate beading and its mesmerizing pattern evokes the sparkling stars in the night sky. A skirt goes with it, crafted from layers of diaphanous chiffon, billowing and dancing with every movement. It’s a harmonious marriage of opulence and airiness, inviting you to embrace both elegance and freedom.
As you explore further, you encounter a dress adorned with cascading ribbons of vibrant silk. Each ribbon seems to possess a life of its own, swirling and intertwining in a symphony of colors. It’s as if the dress has captured the essence of a summer breeze, evoking a feeling of joy and playfulness.
The dresses in this unique ice cream shop are not just garments; they are wearable works of art that transcend traditional fashion boundaries. Each piece tells a story, inviting you to become part of its narrative. And as you taste your paired ice cream, the experience expands to fill you with a sense of wonder, eager to return and immerse yourself once again in the magical fusion of ice cream and fashion.
Nadiya’s success didn’t go unnoticed. Every ice cream shop in town heard about Fashion Scoops. One of her neighbor’s ran a rival ice cream shop, and he was envious of Nadiya’s success. He began to spread rumors about her ice cream not being fresh and her fashion sense being outdated.
His harassment increased day by day. One morning when Nadiya went to open her shop, she saw that all the windows had been broken. It cost a lot of money, but she replaced them all at once. Within a week, someone broke into her store in the middle of the night and poured dishwashing liquid into all of the ice creams.
Her neighbor constantly wrote false comments about Fashion Scoops on social media, using fake accounts; comments like, “the clothes at this shop are stolen from the museum;” or, “this shop uses non-edible coloring in its ice creams, it’s carcinogenic.” None of it was true. All the vintage clothes at Nadiya’s shop belonged to her mother or to Nadiya, and she never used anything artficial in her ice creams.
Her neighbor was a misogynist. He believed that women should stay at home, take care of the housework and children, and leave jobs and shops to be run by men. Nadiya suspected that he was behind the rumors and vandalism. She was determined to clear her name and save her business. She said to her friend, “I won’t let these lies ruin my business, I’ll fight back and show everyone the truth about my shop.”
Nadiya felt that it was her duty to save the shop, not only for herself, but for the sake of all the other women who are attacked by misogynists and are excluded from advancement in their chosen careers. She promised herself that she would show everyone that women can match or out-compete men in business.
She went to her neighbor and asked him directly why he was doing these things. Her neighbor smiled and said, “I don’t answer a woman. If you want to talk to me, go and come back to me with your father. You think you’re so smart and can be better than men in business? Think again. Your place is in the kitchen.”
Nadiya, who was angered by his sexist, rude behavior, said, “I’ll prove to everyone that you’re a liar. Men like you bring shame to other men. You like to humiliate others to feel good about yourself. But this abuse won’t work for you anymore. I won’t let it.”
Nadiya returned home and told the story to her mother. Then she told it to her family and friends. They assured her that they would accompany her on this journey to teach the sexist, rude neighbor a good lesson. With the help of her friends and family, Nadiya gathered evidence against him. They installed hidden cameras in her shop and tracked the online reviews. They even got some of her loyal customers to testify on her behalf.
With the evidence in hand, Nadiya took her neighbor to court. She asked that her trial be conducted by a female judge. She didn’t want a sexist or misogynistic man to judge her case. Fortunately, one of the best judges in the city, a very successful woman, was assigned to the case.
The court case was intense and dramatic, with both sides presenting their evidence and arguments. Nadiya’s team presented the footage from the hidden cameras, which clearly showed the neighbor breaking into her shop and ruining her ice cream. They also presented screenshots of the fake reviews and testimony from customers who had been loyal to her shop for years.
On the other side, the neighbor’s team tried to argue that the evidence was circumstantial and that they had no way of proving that the neighbor had actually done the sabotage. But Nadiya’s team was prepared and had a surprise witness, an employee of the rival ice cream shop who testified that her boss had instructed them to spread the rumors and sabotage the shop.
The judge listened carefully to both sides and weighed the evidence. In the end, the judge found the neighbor guilty of sabotage and defamation. He was ordered to pay a big fine and serve community service. The verdict was a victory for Nadiya and her shop. Her reputation was cleared and her business was thriving once again. Her loyal customers returned, and new ones came to try her delicious ice cream creations. Nadiya was grateful for the support of her friends and family. She was glad that she had stood up for herself and her business.
A few days after the court decision, Nadiya went to the shop as usual. She saw her neighbor waiting at the door. She expected a fight, but when she got to the door and saw her neighbor’s face, she noticed something strange. He wasn’t angry or mean, like usual. He looked more upset and sad. “Did something happen?” Nadiya asked while holding the shop key between her fingers.
The neighbor said softly, “I’m here to apologize to you. I’m a stupid, sexist person and I tried to destroy your business just because you’re a woman. I know now that I was wrong and I don’t know what to do to make it up. After the court decision, my wife left me. She said she no longer wants to live with a sexist man who tries to hurt women. I lost my beloved wife because of my stupid mistakes and I regret it.”
Nadiya was still angry with her neighbor, but now she also felt sorry for him. She was quiet for awhile, and then she looked straight in his eyes and asked, “Can I help you somehow?” The neighbor said in a sad voice, “No! I just wanted to feel better about myself. I wanted to do the right thing for once and apologize, and stop being selfish.”
This brought a thought to Nadiya’s mind. She said to her neighbor, “I can’t change your wife’s opinion. But maybe you can prove to her that you are sorry and realize your mistake.” With this word, the neighbor’s eyes shone with gratitude and he answered, “just tell me what I should do, I’m ready to make up for my mistakes.”
She invited him into her shop. They sat at a table and Nadiya talked to him about a program her friends were preparing about women’s rights and sexism in the labor market. It was going to be held in her shop, Fashion Scoops. Nadiya said, “You can help us organize this conference, and I will invite your wife to attend. And if you want, you can talk about your experience for a few minutes. This is a good way to show you’ve accepted the impact of your mistakes and you intend to correct them. Maybe your wife will forgive you.”
The neighbor nodded in agreement and said, “I can help you design and distribute the flyers.” Nadiya agreed. Over the next week, they worked long hours each day until, finally, the day of the conference arrived. Everything was ready. Nadiya had sent an invitation to the neighbor’s wife, and they all hoped that she would come to the conference and hear her husband’s words.
The conference began. Participants and audience entered the shop, noisy and excited. Nadiya and her friends handed out printed programs listing the day’s speakers. They’d invited women who ran successful businesses to share their experiences with other women and girls who hoped to follow their dreams. The program was solid and everything was going great.
At the end of the program, Nadia asked the neighbor to come up and tell his experience about sexism in the workplace. The neighbor took the microphone and said, “I am one of the millions of men who grew up with patriarchal and sexist thoughts. I never challenged the gender stereotypes I believed in. I never tried to learn more or to be a better person. I have been thinking wrongly and living wrongly for years, and I have hurt many people with my mistakes. But recently, something happened that helped me see my mistakes and their impact. I had treated the manager of this ice cream shop very badly, because I believed that a woman should never succeed in my field of work. I did a lot of bad things because of my jealousy and those behaviors made me lose my wife. My wife was one of the most important people in my life, and after she left me I realized that I couldn’t even run my business without her. I regret everything I did and I pledge to do my best to do better in the future.”
After the neighbor finished speaking, everyone’s attention turned to a woman standing by the entrance, watching the speech—the wife of Mr. Neighbor. The room fell silent and everyone wondered: would she give him a second chance?
Mr. Neighbor became very emotional. He left the front and went to his wife while everyone watched and he said to his wife: “I now realize how much I’ve hurt you with my patriarchal and misogynistic behavior all these years. I apologize with all my heart.”
His wife smiled and her eyes tears up. “Perhaps you can pay your debts and find new success with a future opportunity. I’ll be with you if you try,” she said. The whole shop broke out in cheers.
From that day on, Nadiya lived a life full of fashion, ice cream, creativity, and a sense of justice. She was known as the fashionable and innovative ice cream shop owner, an inspiration for others to never give up and to always fight for what is right. Nadiya used her noteriety to speak up about the discrimination that women entrepreneurs face, and how important it is to support and empower them. She used her platform as a successful business owner to raise awareness about these challenges. She also used the court case as an opportunity to advocate for more women-friendly laws and regulations in the industry, to support and empower women to start their own businesses and succeed in their endeavors. She would often speak to other women entrepreneurs: “Don’t be afraid to speak up and fight for what’s right, together we can break through the barriers and achieve our dreams.”
From then on, Nadiya’s ice cream shop became not only a place to enjoy delicious ice cream, but also a place where people could come together to support and empower one another. Nadiya continued to come up with new, exciting flavors, host fashion and ice cream events, and use her platform to advocate for women’s rights and equality in the industry. Her story inspired many, not only in the city but also around the world. She showed that with hard work, determination, and a willingness to fight for what’s right, anyone can achieve their dreams.
5 June, 2023
