My close friend was on the way to my house when she passed a chasidish family with a bunch of little kids. One of their young daughters said to her mother (loudly) “look mommy, its an off the derech girl.” The mother looked embarrassed and tried to quiet her kid.
This friend of mine has been having a really hard time lately at home, and might have done some things that a bais yaakov girl doesnt usually do. However, at that moment, she was wearing a completely tznius outfit and looked like any other frum girl in my school. No one who doesn’t could have guessed what she has been going through. I dont know how that kid could tell, but how are parents raising their kids now-that if someone is a little bit less religious then you, they are off the derech and need labeling. Everyone is always so judgemental. That in itself could make people like her not want to even try to become better.
My friend handled it very well and accepts that some people put labels on others before they have taken a walk in their shoes. Although i did let her now, I am the one who is horrified by this. She could have taken it the way she did, or this might have made someone like her not want to become better since she sees that people are going to put labels on her anyways.