The Second Sex

 In the course of some research that I was doing on the patriarchal ideology in our country, I discovered that Sigmund Freud has conveniently described women as the "mutilated man". 

Of course, how on earth could a woman possibly have an identity independent of a Man's? A woman is nothing but "Man's half"- no, a woman is a Man that has been discarded.
Couple this with Freud's ridiculous theory of "penis envy" and you already have two of the many reasons why I despise Sigmund Freud.
Putting that aside, let's concentrate on why I started out at all. WOMEN. Or more specifically, women's position in our society.
One need not even go as far back as the not so ancient "ancient times", and all that "traditional position of women" gibberish.
Look at the society around you now. 
I come from a "progressive" family, but often i'm told not to go out in the clothes I'm wearing because my "top is too short", or the "dress too tight fitting".
My honour and dignity and womanhood seem to rest solely in my clothing and demeanour.
And when I protest, I'm asked to keep my "foreign theories" aside, because this is India.
As a 1) woman, 2) who frequently travels alone, 3) by public transport; I'm absolutely no stranger to those "casual" inappropriate touches, the leering eyes, and those "whispered" comments; the catcalling and the other daily incidents.

These are such regular "normal" occurences that in none of these cases I reacted strongly. 

We have passed through the "Dark Ages", our ancestors have lived through the Age of Enlightenment; the present generations are living through 21 centuries of evolution. Why do women still pass off these things as a regular part of life?!

The saddest bit is, we keep this sexist divide alive. 
The moment you clad a girl child in pink and a boy child in blue. The moment you hand over dolls and kitchen sets to a girl, and cars and guns to a boy. The moment you allow a boy to play outdoors till sundown, but reprimand a girl for not being indoors by 5:30 PM. 
Although today, the lines between the cause and the effect is blurred. Does the Girl- Boy divide give rise to more sexism, or is it the result of the deep seated sexism already existing in our society?

Our culture has increasingly normalized sexism. From the "Damsel-in-distress" culture to our modern popculture, we have shamelessly encouraged the servitude of women. 

"Tu haan kar, ya naa kar
Tu hai meri… Kiran”

“Yeh usaka style hoinga, hontho pe na dil me han hoinga
Aaj nahee toh kal bolegee, ai tu tension kai ko leta hai re”

"Raja beta banke maine jab sharafat dikhayi
Tune bola 'hatt mawaali' bhaav nahi diya re"

"Turn around b*tch I got a use for you / Besides you ain't got nothin' better to do / And I'm bored" 

HOW IS ANY OF THIS ACCEPTABLE AND OKAY???
The entertainment industry has built up fortunes around misogyny and toxic masculinity, and people will still cheer and hoot to this. 
Are we normal?

WOMEN OF THE WORLD, it is not enough to post a #justicefor*insertwoman'sname* on social media, or to join in candle marches. It is not enough, not while you are vocal on social media, but bow down to patriarchy otherwise. 
If you want to be treated equally, THEN GO OUT THERE AND SNATCH IT FOR YOURSELF.

In case of any kind of chore, don't push away something as a "masculine" task. Go out there and sieze the day. Prove your worth.
Don't give in to that socially acceptable image of a "good girl". You have an existence outside society's narrow perimeters. You are not an object of pleasure- fight for your independence, seize a life for yourself. You are not an object on sale with a 50% OFF tag, begging to be bought. Don't you dare slip into the category of giggling, men pleasing painted dolls, to be used at will. Don't you dare give in to mansplaining, just because it is prevalent.

The very society that brands you as a "SLUT" today, has  worshipped you and honoured you for centuries.
The Society that ties you down with its shackles also beg for forgiveness before idols of you.
Don't you dare let Society make you feel inferior and unsafe and unworthy.

"Jalaa ke bhasm kar use
Jo kroorta ka jaal hai
Tu aarti ki lau nahi
Tu krodh ki mashaal hai"


~ Rajeshwari Tagore

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