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The shopkeeper takes a packet out and diligently wraps it in a black bag. Now I know it is a packet meant to be hidden from the men's eyes!
The shopkeeper takes a packet out and diligently wraps it in a black bag. Now I know it is a packet meant to be hidden from the men’s eyes!
I am eleven, and I don’t know So I ask mom, what is wrong? She affirms that something’s wrong Then she says, lower your voice Lest dad and brother hear it
She hastens me to the medical store Waits for the crowd to fade Furtively she asks for a “packet” Shopkeeper giggles and takes one out Maybe the packet is something funny, Diligently he veils it in an endless black Now I’m sure – it’s something to laugh at.
Mom tells me how to use and dispose it off She tells me to keep the remaining concealed This time I don’t ask anything For I know why she is obscure And I didn’t overlook the chuckles As we walk with the funny packet in black
On the fourth day, I don’t bleed I am ecstatic it ends Without dad and brother espying the funny packet I am sly enough I enshroud it with all my clothes.
As I am watching TV, Mom swiftly pulls me aside “Have you gone blind, you stained your dress” She reprimands in a hushed tone Tears gush down my face As I tiptoe into the washroom
I return to the TV, beside my brother And I am horrified to see it Why are they showing funny packet on the TV? Don’t they know my brother watches?
Will he rebuke me like mom? Or titter like the people outside? I am vexed with either So I grab the remote in a jiffy And change the channel.
Conclusion: The subtle art of social conditioning
Picture credits: Still from Stayfree’s #KeepGirlsInSchool campaign on YouTube
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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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