Happy Saturday everybody!
I hope you had a fantastic week and I hope you enjoyed Holi.
Anyway,
Happy belated Women’s day to all the professional jugglers out there! You are phenomenal! You have managed to loosen the tight grip of the society that is always trying to bind you.
Simran does not need her father’s permission to live her life
It’s the year 2023 and women are thriving! They’re participating in decision making- not just in their workplace but also in their house. They make about 70-80% of all purchasing decisions. Women comprise 14% of the total entrepreneurs in India.
Yes, I know that we’re still dealing with unequal pay, unpaid domestic work, no period leaves and the taunt of “Why bother about money at all? Do it for your experience“. And I know that these things hold us back at times.
We have surely come a long way, we still have a long way to go! But if we don’t track our progress, we will not know how closer we are to reaching our goal.
Lets see how, slowly but surely, we are getting rid of the deep-rooted thoughts, demeaning lingo and countless labels that define women.
Behenji
The evolution of this term
We are living in a world where pronouns and adjectives determine so many aspects of a person’s life! One of them is the term “behenji“.
Behenji is a respectful term for sister. But thanks to movies and TV shows, this respectful term has been tainted. Behenji became a derogatory word to represent an uncool “housewife“ material who does not wear Western clothes.
If you think about it, it makes ZERO sense to me. Since when did housewives and/or Indian wear become uncool? What is wrong with people?
Housewives make the best entrepreneurs because of their excellent management and financial skills! They have an insane work ethic! They work tirelessly every day so that they can make their house a HOME!
FYI, a house and a home are two very different things. House is a tangible asset, home is an emotion.
And Indian wear- let’s talk about that, please!
Indian women look the best in Indian wear because it is made for their body type. You can applaud Jennifer Aniston for wearing a lehenga, but if a woman in India is wearing a saree, you call her behenji?
Yes, this does not make sense to me either!
But thank God Poo bani Parvati made a comeback a few years ago, we have started wearing Indian wear on a daily basis without any shame and we are slaying it!
I am telling you, woman, always remember, you can slay both Poo and Parvati- make sure you choose your comfort over unsolicited opinions and baseless labels that can never define you.
You do you ,woman!
Log kya kahenge!
An epidemic
This is gender agnostic- it has plagued everyone- from kids to oldies. It sucks the joy out of life and suffocates us!
Funnily enough, people never question WHO these “log“ are and WHY would they even say anything. They are only fixated on the WHAT.
And this has killed countless dreams and aspirations. These kids who have been suppressed by ‘Log kya kahenge’ pass on the trauma generation after generation.
This deadly phrase fits everywhere in every situation! It’s like the white formal shirt in your closet- fit for every occasion if styled well. Heck, ‘log kya kahenge‘ needs no styling at all! It feels like the worst chaai you’ve tasted that can ruin your existence!
Do you think I’m being extra?
But it literally fits EVERYWHERE!
Want to go out late at night? No you can’t because log kya kahenge
Want to pursue anything that’s a little unconventional? You can’t because log kya kahenge
Want to take a break from your career to figure out what you want to do? No, you can’t because your parents won’t have anything to brag about, and if this happens, log BOHOT KUCH kahenge!
Wish to become invisible for a while so nobody notices you?
I know you have so many more instances in your mind.
But, but, but..
The good news is that we are witnessing an EVOLUTION! The evolution of social consciousness and empathy amongst Gen Z.
Thanks to the internet for connecting us all- we are getting to know different perspectives and we are questioning everything. Literally everything!
Even our existence, at times.
But we are slowly loosening the noose of log kya kahenge that has always strangled us.
How are we doing this?
It’s simple! We’re questioning everything (except our existence)-
Who are these “log“? Do they matter?
Can we control their mind and words?
Are they worthy of our attention?
Should we give up on whatever we were going to do because of log?
Are you PMSing?
Can we stop with this already?
Calling someone out because they’ve said and/or done something inappropriate does not mean that a woman is PMSing.
Having a bad day and not being able to handle it well at times does not mean that a woman is PMSing.
People are creating awareness about menstruation, but we still have a long way to go. We live in a world where there’s no dearth of information. Please educate yourself, people. Don’t throw the PMS word carelessly in every situation. Use your awareness to identify if you’ve made a mistake. Our hormones are not always at play.
Yours unapologetically,
Women.
Women are breaking the glass-ceiling. If she does not have the opportunity to do so, she creates one for herself. It is to be noted that not all women are rebellious. Some find a way around the restrictions and limitations imposed on her. Because the society cannot change overnight, but what can change overnight is how women perceive situations, it’s how they perceive themselves.
But again, patriarchy has damaged every human being, irrespective of their gender. And a collective effort will be required to make this world a safe space for all genders to thrive.
We can make this world a better place by being kind and by adhering to the “Live and let live“ principle.
Toodeloo!
Love the content and small snippets with diagrams! Perfect for reading with a hot cup of chai. Keep writing :)