“The very fact that you’re a woman, is a gift of God which all of us must appreciate. The origin of a child, is a mother, and is a woman. She shows the man what love,caring and sharing is all about.”
This was Miss Universe 1994, our very own Sushmita Sen’s final answer on being asked, “What is the essence of a woman?”
This might have won her the crown and billions of hearts across the world which is why this answer is still etched in our memory. But did this stand the test of time? Do people really look into it deeper than the lines? The simple answer is no.
Today’s world is where women are defining new heights in any sphere that exists. But that same world also has innumerable number of cases of harassment in any nature that could be possible. Be it rape, sexual harassment at the workplace, domestic violence or others.
How much these things bother me, what bothers me even more is that the same men, after committing heinous crime, come home to their wives, mothers, sisters and are normal, as if nothing ever happened. How do they not keep the women in their lives in the shoes of the innocent woman they readily exploit as if she’s a commodity?
Where are women being treated as the gift of God? Nowhere! Even if women reach heights in any field, they are still objectified and people try to bring them down. What even surprises me more is that some women, instead of lifting each other up, bring them down on the grounds of societal thinking and their norms.
But do they ever give a thought as to why are all norms exist just for women? If a girl breaks free from a toxic relationship, and finds love again, she’s called names and slut shamed. Whereas if a boy does that, there are fancier names which don’t even sound derogatory and are not even taken in that sense.
Names like Casanova, player – so cool it sounds, right? Does ‘slut’ sound equally cool? No! I can list n number of issues which bother me but I’m keeping it to the point.
This Women’s Day, my only request to all the women out there is that, break free from all shackles. Define new limits, work above and beyond your expectations and be a better version of yourself. Lift other women up. Take a stand for yourself because you are your best friend.
Don’t let a man show you what your limits are or what you’re capable of. The next time anyone tells you that, be independent and not only show a man what love, caring and sharing is all about but also what ability, respect and determination is all about.