Expectations of Brown Girls

Namaste,

Girls Girls Girls. From the first second on when a girl is born, a lot of pressure is already being put on her. Parents will be told that having a daughter will make them tensed all their lives. What about boys tho?  Why do girls get told to sit in a specific way? Many Indian girls are told not to talk to boys, not to speak loud, not to laugh in public or not to go outside with friends just because they are girls. When was the last time you went to a sleepover? Why does being a girl mean that she is responsible for the whole kitchen or that she has to clean the house? You’ve probably heard an auntie say ‘I have two daughters and look at the state of the house’ at least one time in your life. Are boys not born with 2 arms and legs that they are not able to do it?

I go to India every other year and everytime I go, I realise how people treat me different because I am a girl. When I was younger, I used to play badminton with my cousin all the time but once I grew older I was told by relatives in India that I cant go and play badminton with him because he plays it on a ground with a few other people now. How does that even make a difference? No one should ever be restricted to do something they are passionate about no matter what. Another example of this ridiculous gender difference is when I went to an Annual Church Celebration in England. I met a really nice girl there and we had common close friends there who were boys. We were just chilling outside the hall having a good time while it was getting darker. Suddenly out of nowhere an uncle pops up and starts shouting his head off at me and the girl I met because we are girls and aren’t supposed to be hanging out with our guy-friends in the dark. What is going to happen, are the vampires going to come out because it is dark? Why is still an issue in the Indian community, I mean c’mon we are in the 21st century where a boy and a girl can be just good friends.

This is not it. Being a brown girl means you are being watched 24/7. Some auntie will see you doing something wrong and it will spread like BBC and you will always be known for that. No matter how hard you try, you are always expected to be better than that and that is something that needs to be changed.

I am not saying that boys don’t clean up or that they don’t cook or that every auntie is talking about you. I am saying that women are expected to clean up, cook and not to talk loudly because the society you are in tells you to but you can change that. 

The pictures above have been created by an artist called Maria who makes some amazing comics. Definitely do check her out. Her instagram username is hatecopy.

https://www.instagram.com/hatecopy/?hl=en

Love,

Mariiamazi x