Women through the lens of society

 Women through the lens of society

-Society and its age old stigma

I went to my friend’s house for dinner to find my friend’s most adorable little sister sitting at the kitchen table. She was all alone, seemed to be really dull, so I went to talk to her. 

I asked her what happened and her response took be aback. 

“I’m not cute,” she said, her bright little sparkly eyes welling up with tears. 

A flyer in her hand mentioned about an upcoming music concert in school. I asked if she liked to sing.

“No, I’m dusky and big”, not pretty enough to do front row singing.

It broke my heart to hear a little girl, not even 10 years old, tell words like ”dusky” ,”big” and “not pretty”.

Society has seriously altered the way women are viewed and has a great impact about how we feel about our outlook. Sad but society has sheepishly succeeded in this so far. Whether we realize it or not media also has a great share on how we act, and define beauty.

How often do we see a hardworking women, winning the bread for the family, on the shiny magazine covers? Not often. Instead we celebrate women in minimal clothing that have been edited so much, that the women doesn’t even look the same in real life. Media has majorly portrayed beauty just with physical appearances. It has been constantly nagging women to have a thin waist line, broad chest and a flawless complexion to look pretty. 

On the other hand, there is a category in the society, who wants women to tuck her dreams along with the folds of her sari, against her slender body, her desires braided with her long hair, confined, to keep it out of her face, and her opinions buried beneath the sweet smile stuck on her powdered face. These are the aspects which make them feminine enough, they say.

Who are “they” here who set these standards, don’t we feel it’s unfair to thrust so much image issues majorly on one of the sexes of the society. No one ever feels bad themselves unless it’s said to them. These stereotypes run right in front of us have been imprinted in our brains with a hot iron, without our realization. Often a woman finds herself stuck between these stereotypes, lost and helpless.

Yes, many may even think or feel times are changing and there are lot of people against body shaming, image issues and such. We even saw fairness companies withdraw their commercials when it became an issue. After the heat of the moment, it becomes a side lined issue, still there are many women who are looked down for their appearances, image, and have lost their voice amidst the chaos.

A woman doesn’t face this just in outer circle, work place, or through media content, but perpetrated mostly by family and friends, not strangers mostly. Most often criticism and judgments are not passed just by the opposite gender; women are put down by women in a lot of places and even in our own families. That’s how pathetic it is. 

This phenomenon has led to lot of mental issues, eating disorders and body image issues among women and even young girls. So think before you pass a comment on anyone, you never know how it may reach them. 

Don’t feel sorry for what you look, your looks, your body, is no one’s business. Don’t feel guilty for the extra face fat, chubby fingers, broad shoulders, sturdy figure, wide hips, bags under eyes , dusky tone, stretch marks ,wrinkles, a strand of grey hair and everything else is not the reason to think that you’re worse to be fit in the society. Either way people won’t appreciate, they will ask more and more until you lose yourself. 

 So, whoever reading this, when you talk to any little girl like one mentioned in beginning, tell her she’s beautiful. Remind your friends, sisters, mothers and grandmothers that we love them no matter what. 

Dear fellow women, take change and stand against the stereotypes. Beauty comes from within and we have to let that shine. Go ahead and embrace who you are.

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Image courtesy : pinterest