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Why work is so important to a woman's life, and why every woman must try it to keep the smile on her face
Why work is so important to a woman’s life and why every woman must try it to keep the smile on her face.
You are a total home-bird said my colleague in those days, during the very beginning of my career. Though I disagreed completely, I might have believed her down the lane.
Years later, after short stints of jobs and no steady career, I decided, maybe she was right. I loved my home. I loved my time alone, and I really loved my house neat and tidy. But though home was what I had settled for, I had this constant urge to express myself, to contribute, to make a difference in this world.
I know it sounds far-fetched and too philosophical, but I don’t think I should have bought into what my friend suggested. I clearly believed her judgment about me and accepted myself as someone ‘homely’, but in a disempowering way.
Don’t we all do this? When we are too lazy to decide on what we want, we settle, for somebody else’s judgment of ourselves. I urge all women out there not to buy into an idea again. I want everyone to have their own ideas, besides what others have to say about them.
So when I was labeled homely, what did the world mean? Did it mean I was being bracketed as a cooking – baking machine type or as out-going, or as the go-getter? How many names? How many labels? There is no stopping. Open any weekly matrimonial ad supplement and all you find is people looking for labels. Homely v/s the career oriented, salaried or non-working, but why can’t I be both? I could be homely and have the passion to make a difference in the world, a drive to contribute my bit.
It was never necessary to conform, it was never a rule to follow any rules. You could be this and that, you could be everything you dreamt of. I am homely – it means I have good taste which reflects in the way I have done up my home. It certainly doesn’t mean I lack ambition or passion to do things outside of my home. That is why it is important that every woman has an occupation. Am I suggesting that everyone has a job?
I say No, a job is not a necessity, but work is, and here is why:
While we all could have our own lists on why we should totally work and rock, I would say, make your own list and put it up your favorite wall at home.
pic credit: funkyah (used under a CC license)
A writer and singer by soul and homemaker by role, I am Malini Misra. I have dabbled with all the aspects of media, be it print, television, and also worked on research of a book read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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