Written by: Niharika Singh

They say it doesn’t matter yet they don’t say it aloud,
They say it’s nothing to be ashamed of yet they don’t let it out,
They say it’s not an obstacle yet they stop me from flying,
They say it’s natural yet they don’t let it out,
They say my body is a blessing yet they curse it everytime it bleeds.

Written by: Pravartika Gandhi

They say women are prone to vanity. The harsh truth, in reality, is- men don’t look at mirrors. After all, all the mirrors do point to women. Though a general statement cannot be held true for all men, most orthodox men find it best to designate women on the basis of their flaws, oblivious to the fact that they themselves are no Superman-s. In the ‘Dictionary
of Quotations by Ocean Book Publications’, 55 out of 57 quotes on women were by men- almost all of them judgemental. Is this, in what we call ‘a progressive world’, non-discrimination?

“For never was it given to mortal man, To lie so boldly as we women can.” Ironically, said by Alexander Pope, another male. It is a notorious misconception that God created both the sexes, and gave men the right to evaluate women. People with such beliefs fail to appreciate the fact that without Eve, Adam was nothing. Not only in African or South Asian nations, but in the past, women have been victims of assessment by the society all over the world. In France, where girls were forced to wear corsets right from adolescence, so that they could be slim and upright. In Britain, where girls were married off at the age of 14, as clearly depicted in the tragic play of ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

However, this is no longer a fight merely for women. In a world where women are expected to be puny and futile, all men are
also expected to be muscular and stone-hearted. “If men don’t have to be aggressive order to be accepted, women won’t be compelled to be submissive”, as beautifully stated by
Emma Watson. If equality is granted round the globe, there won’t be comments on emotional men, as to being ‘weak like women’. There won’t be all the mirrors pointing to
women.

What the world needs is people, both men and women, who can contently hold their mirrors to themselves. For bringing about a change like this, we need to stand up against the judgemental eyes and mouths following us. All females need to support each other, not in the name of feminism, but in the name of humanity. Men and women must be different
biologically, but they’re all humans and at the end of the day, their hearts beat as one. In a society as modern and collective as ours, if a girl walking next to a guy can be judged mindlessly, it’s time for change. It’s time for action.