As brown girls or south asian girls, it has been generationally deep rooted to look down upon women who have a voice, who choose how they want to live their life and break societal norms, who define their own goals, who rebel because they’ve had enough, who speak their mind, and the list goes on.
I was that person too. I would look down upon fellow women who wouldn’t do or be as they’re supposed to. I would choose to disregard their opinion.
Knowingly or unknowingly every woman has been a victim and also the reason why women question their worth.
We have been told right from their childhood through various phases of their life that they can’t be too ambitious, they can’t be a leader, they can’t manage their family and work.
That it’s not okay to ask for what you want but settle. That it’s your birthright to want to get married and have babies and that it’s okay to let your career take a backseat.
It’s okay to be a rebel, it’s okay to not be.
It’s okay to be aggressive, it’s okay to not be.
It’s okay to love doing your makeup, it’s okay to not.
It’s okay to have strong opinions, it’s okay to have none.
What is not ok is to give up on your dreams, to not do something because society expects that out of you as a women.
On the brighter side, more and more women are empowering each other everyday, right from acknowledging their choices, appreciating it to celebrating it and fighting the patriarchy together.
Be it on the personal front or the professional front, we are making conscious choices to eliminate the current misogynistic system.
Women to this day are judged and questioned and not celebrated for the things they bring to the table.
If a woman who is smart and pretty is doing well in her career, she’s been questioned on her capabilities, because stereotypes. A woman who is extremely pretty can’t be smart enough, right? And, a woman who is smart but is not pretty enough isn’t good enough for society to begin with.
Every woman has fought this battle, every woman is fighting this battle.
And, all we ask for are equal opportunities, pay and respect.
We struggle with lack of the right resources, knowledge and peers to help us move the ladder, to help us become a leader in the true sense. And, more importantly because we were never even given those choices in the first place despite working as hard or sometimes even more.
Things, fortunately, are changing for good! More women are speaking up for each other and not against, more women are supporting each other and helping each other grow everyday and not just professionally, more women are realising this toxic trait and working on it.
More women are finally saying yes, let’s stop this bullshit. Let’s all help each other break that damn ceiling. Let’s call out the system and force the system to change.
Let’s leap towards it.
