Shaifila

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I have spoken a lot about being a woman, the constant fear and anxiety that comes with the identification of my gender or the constant reminder of being a part of the "weaker sex". From pop culture to media, there's a constant reinforcement of packaged patriarchy.

We like to show women in a positive light, by showing them as hardworking, overachieving women. Women are 'She-EOs' and whatnot, but when they come back home, they're expected to cook and clean too. It's so normalized and expected out of her and valorized as the ideal woman that we sometimes don't even question it.

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In India, so many women are married to men who are abusers because they're financially dependent. In India, the simplest way to malign a woman is to harm her "image" of a good woman. From Indian National Congress's face Sonia Gandhi to a political candidate from Aam Admi Party, the common political attack on both was about their past and sexuality.

If I'm open about my experiences as a woman, the biggest threat is somebody calling my parents and maligning my image. If I get harassed, I become "damaged goods". If I'm loud and open, I'm "easy and not marriage material". The fear of my image is so strong combined with my general well-being.

If you can't relate, yesterday I was standing across the road from my college. A big car rolled up in front of me. Two men got off the car and I was so scared that I crossed the road immediately.

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