And the Many Ways She Fights to Keep Herself Alive — Step 1: Single father meets coy girl and decides to give marriage another chance. Coy girl agrees. They get married. Step 3: They give birth to a daughter; chubby, cheerful and insanely beautiful. They call her Little girl. Step 4: Little girl is loved and cared for, but she soon…

There is no Equity without an Acknowledgement of Equality — I heaved a sigh of exasperation as I skimmed through an academic essay on the topic of women’s rights. The assertions made in the essay were enough to release the breath that I didn’t know I was holding. My brain needed the time to process what I had read. So…

This May Be the Right Time to Turn Towards Body Neutrality — Once, we all dreamed of a world where women are appreciated for their minds rather than their bodies. We looked forward to a time when women’s bodies would cease to be objectified, hypersexualised and fetishised. We lamented the ills of capitalism and the exploitation of women. However, the recent proliferation…

Bridgerton is a Modern Feminist Critique of the Past — We’ve all seen or heard about ‘Bridgerton’ — the Netflix regency style romance TV show which is an adaptation of Julia Quinn’s eight-part book series. “Bridgerton” took the world by surprise with its intense modern spin on a 19th century period drama. Underneath the show’s extravagant portrayal of Victorian aristocratic…

Where Women are Economically Disadvantaged, Mahr Provides Freedom Against Economic Dependence — “I did not pay her Mahr just for her to turn around and challenge my authority.” a man blurted out to my hearing for the umpteenth time and I knew that this was a topic I couldn’t put aside anymore. For some time now, I’ve found myself in circles where…

Women’s History Month Means Celebrating the Greatness of my Predecessors — Dear Memuna, My maternal great grandmother. I can feel your blood running through my veins. You departed this world just a year after I was born, before my mind became mature enough to remember your face. But I’ve heard stories of you; stories that make my heart swell at the privilege of…

Here’s How I Did It. — I couldn’t understand what was wrong with me. I used to be so focused and productive. I would write a to-do list and smash almost all the items on my list. Those were the glorious days when it felt like I was not just a dreamer but a doer. As…

The Often Painful Stereotypes of Colourism are Linked to Racism — My mother showed me pictures of my great-grandmother. She was a smart, petite woman with skin the shade of a walnut. I saw admiration in the eyes of everyone who talked about her. They spoke of her sass, her affluence, and how she raised her middle finger when the world…

Her Desire to be Picked May Cause You Great Harm — Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse It’s 10 pm. I’m doing my usual bedtime reading just before my eyes get heavy and my hands get light enough to drop the book without me even noticing that I did. I’m drawn into the story of Carole, the fourth character in Bernadine Evaristo’s Girl…