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Don't let the topic mislead you. This has got nothing to do with Karan Johar or his new Netflix series.
Don’t let the topic mislead you. This has got nothing to do with Karan Johar or his new Netflix series.
A couple of weeks ago, when I posted a picture on Facebook, a friend of mine said I looked very different; that there was some change in me and whatever the change was, it made me look good.
A few days back, another friend said that there was a certain kind of calm when I spoke now.
I know I have changed; I will be lying if I say that it is not self induced. However, the change has also come about because of age.
I call it ‘the halfway age’.
When I was 18, I would call people over 40, old. But now that I am here and have a son who is 19, I really feel that age is just a number. Sometimes, I don’t feel any older than my son. I still feel very young.
Having said that, a lot of things have changed too. I feel more confident now, I don’t care about what people think.
I make decisions fast and can change course when needed, because I know most times things don’t happen according to the plan.
If I don’t like it, I won’t do it.
I own my mistakes, I forgive faster, I apologise faster.
I know what triggers me, so I know how to handle my reactions – because I can’t change the circumstances.
I have stopped judging people and comparing myself to others.
I will do anything that my mind, and most importantly, my body, can handle.
I realised there are no rules. My life, my rules is the motto. Young women who are reading this, please read it again. There are no rules! Get married when you want to, have kids when you are ready. Don’t want kids? It’s absolutely ok. Live life as you wish.
I have learnt that holding on is much harder than letting go, whether it’s relationships, memories or habits.
I stopped procrastinating. There is no ‘later’. The bucket list is made. I have started ticking off.
I want to do at least one thing which makes me happy and motivated each day.
I realised that by changing my outlook to life, I am actually not causing any upheaval in the lives of my family. Instead, they have now learnt to deal with the new me.
I feel more happier and healthier after reinventing myself and I think it shows. Maybe that’s what my friends meant when they said I have changed.
I feel liberated and I wait for tomorrow with excitement and if tomorrow comes, I know what to tick off the bucket list.
So all the ladies who are over 40 or who are going to be, trust me, life after 40 is indeed fabulous.
First published at the author’s blog
Top image is a still from the Hindi movie, Andhadhun
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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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