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Recognize your strength, fight back the patriarchy, misogyny and the fear of unknown. Don’t get cowed down by the muscle strength. You are more!
Let me be, this is me.
I am born a female, let it be
Don’t kill me in the womb,
Do I deserve to be?
Let me learn, thrive and fly
Don’t cut my wings to fix it on my sibling brother
Remember, my life is not for philanthropic deeds!
Let me be, this is me
I may be a geek, a fashionista, a narrow minded or a happy go
I may not always drape a sari for the societal convenience though
Don’t judge based on my attire, caste, creed, color, and body.
I may be ambitious, or just want to raise my kids,
It is my choice, no opinion, please.
Coming late from office, parties,
It is my option
That doesn’t give anyone the right to stalk or rape
Yet, if you baffle that it’s all my fault
I know my sisters who were raped within their four walls.
Married I am life doesn’t end here
I need a partner, not a master to enslave me
Give me my rights
I have already given yours
Gave your name to my kids unconditionally
Despite the hour’s long labour pain
Don’t clutch me, don’t force
I won’t take it, I affirm.
I am not a Sita anymore, nor a Draupadi
I know how to fight back
I gave you birth, fed you and nurtured
Taught you how to walk, and to read
Ushered you to the path, till you find your way
Son, don’t despise me when I am old.
Nor consider me your kids’ nanny!
The man in you is the one I brought up,
Believe me, when I say, don’t dare to
A mother, sister, wife, daughter, lover or a friend
Mould me with love and I will be yours forever
I don’t expect you to protect me,
Just make it safe for us to walk on the roads, office, schools or at home
That’s all you need to do
Listen, don’t think about harming one more,
Don’t take my patience for weakness
I am a woman, created the universe through my womb
Destructive I came be, to what extent you can never fathom!
Note: Ode to all the women out there!
Image via Pixabay
Sheeba Vinay is a writer, Compiler by profession. She is criminologist and a writing therapist. Her write-ups have been published in Lokmat Times, TOI and various platforms like Women's Web, Momspresso, Storymirror, India read more...
This post has published with none or minimal editorial intervention. Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
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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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