It starts with the genitalia,
The difference of it
It does not matter when you are young and Mother says it’s just meant to be.
It starts to matter when you grow older
And summers don’t allow you to take off the sweaty t-shirt at home.
When closed doors have a different meaning
When you can’t sleep beside your brother as it is not “proper” anymore.
It is never a good different. It is never special
Hide your bras, your panties from the menfolk while their underwear can swing from the lines in glory.
You must never tell anyone you are having your periods. Tell them you are not well
The pads must be hidden
It’s not nice to talk about it.
Don’t get near the altar. Don’t touch anything for it will too become impure.
‘Don’t’ becomes the resonating truth of existence.
Mothers start to worry when your breasts grow. For breasts give men the opportunity to do something with their hands.
Darkness amplifies its perils when the daughter is growing up.
Men everywhere look like predators.
There are hushed talks with elders where advice is given. Remember only the woman can get pregnant. Only the woman carries the blame. Only the woman carries the shame.
The penis becomes the weapon and all penises are the parasites who seek refuge in your private place.
The place you should keep pure. For you have no desire.
It’s only men who seek desire. For a man by any other name is never a slut.
The difference does not go away.
You have breasts and you bleed once a month.
You will be judged by the size of your boobs and the tightness of your vagina.
You will be judged if you smoke , drink alcohol or wear clothes unfit for the woman in our society.
You cannot be just friends with a man. You are giving signals you are unaware of.
If you show parts of your body, you are asking for it.
You are never your own person. You are the daughter, the girlfriend, the wife, the mother, the sister.
Never just a woman.
And you will always aspire to become a man, for Penis envy is the books and no one envies a vagina.
It starts with genitalia
It ends when you own it.
