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Why are women expected to cover up, hide their femininity, and do everything only for a man's benefit? What about what they want?
Why are women expected to cover up, hide their femininity, and do everything only for a man’s benefit? What about what they want?
Why? Why am I expected to be a fertile female but not allowed to disclose or reveal it? Why am I expected to hide my true self and come out as something that I am not?
Don’t blame only men. Women are as guilty.
If you wear anything but a traditional chudidaar and cover yourself in layers of folded fabric never mind the hot climate, you are deemed a characterless slut who is out for promotions on the bed. You’re basically asking for it. Even a tiny hint of the strap on your shoulder creates a furore over your breasts and their existence. Your tops aren’t supposed to reveal what’s beneath them, they are so alarmed by the mere presence of what fed them after birth.
Saris can reveal 6 inches of delicate waist but a faint glimpse of the female abdomen under a shirt will make them cringe as if they have seen something unholy.
Chop off those beautiful tresses that took so long to grow. Shove those pretty dresses and tops deep into your wardrobe to rot. Keep yourself wrapped in a shroud at all times. Own a permanent scowl.
Most of your problems will be solved when you don’t look like a woman.
I wasn’t actually going to talk about anything like this but then why not?
Those women that know what they are and who they want, just can’t be controlled by threats, walks of shame and moral exhortations. When they go ahead and fight for self-worth and voice their dislikes and discomfort, it is taken as a sign of rebellion and this greatly appeals to a certain section of men as well as women (which surprises me).
Those ladies who have dared to walk past the scorning perverts fearlessly are equally harassed by their own sex who come across as screeching owls upon the slightest evidence of femininity that these ladies possess.
So how do you go about it?
You start by shedding all traces of your femininity.
Technically according to a huge population in this world, the body of a female only exists for a man’s needs. And you just cannot reveal anything apart from your face, fingers and toes.
You mustn’t speak before a man, walk before a man or even go about doing your work if its not serving your man. If you do, all your accomplishments make you nothing but base and despicable.
So, it’s up to you.
Do you want to continue doing what others want or do you want to live life on your own terms?
Nobody but you gets to decide that for you.
Published here earlier.
Image source: shutterstock
Professionally, I am a content developer and editor. Other times I'm involved in various activities as a freelance blogger/writer, volunteer in my college's alumni association, career coach, tattoo and skating enthusiast. read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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