It is no tell tale when I say my mother is always reluctant to let me travel anywhere all by myself. Last Sunday, I was bored sitting all day at home, binge watching New Girl and constantly switching between instagram   and facebook so I asked my mom if I could go to a bookstore and buy some books which I was dying to read. She  said she would accompany me as well.  However, after a lot of convincing she unwillingly said yes.

The reason my mother was hesitant to send me all by myself started showing from the bus stop itself when I was asked  ,”Oh Kanchi, katai janey ho?” with all wrong intentions from a young aged man riding shotgun in a van. With all disgust, I just rolled my eyes because as a young girl it takes me time to digest all those catcalls that I get and by the time I gather my nerves to call upon those uneducated and ignorant men, they quickly pass by.

Wrong parenting is when boys are brought up as fearless, superior and dominant and girls  raised as oversensitive and inferior in a protective bubble with the princess tag. If there is something that should stop, it is this stereotype that boys should play football and video games and spend their childhood wrapped up in dirt and mud and girls should be inside their princesses themed bedroom watching Cindrella and playing dress up with their Barbie dolls.

The problem starts with their childhood and parents should be sensible enough, at least now, not to brainwash their child with the stereotyped gender roles. What if when we were born, regardless of our gender, were taught to be compassionate with one another, passionate about our goals, determined about our beliefs ,strong enough to fight for what’s right and sensitive enough about what others’ feel ? This world would have been a much better place to live for all  females and all moms like mine  over the world wouldn’t have to worry about their girls’ safety. I believe in respecting females not because of their gender but because they are humans first and I believe females should never be underestimated because they are so used to it. It’s time women realized their worth and started breaking the gender barriers.

A few months back when someone asked me if I was a feminist, I replied that I believed in equality and feminism but I wasn’t a feminist. However, I am a proud feminist and I realize that it is very important that everyone starts identifying themselves as feminists.