Happy International Women's Day
I guess
You may say, but Ikram, International Women’s Day was three days ago.
Well, I’m sorry. I was too busy trying to figure out what it actually means to be a woman.
Google says a woman is an adult human female.
Islam says a woman is a cherished, honored creation with rights and responsibilities.
Christianity says a woman is a divine creation, made from man’s rib to be his partner and helpmate.
Biology says a woman is defined by her chromosomes and reproductive system.
But none of these definitions explain why a woman must fight to exist on her own terms. Because according to society? A woman is a pawn. A tool. A thing to be shaped, controlled, and sacrificed.
From birth, we are raised to serve men we haven’t even met yet. Our existence is a lifelong boot camp to make us worthy of a husband.
“You don’t like yam? What if your husband does?”
“You’re a top engineer? What if your husband is a cleaner?”
“You want three kids? What if your husband wants fifteen?”
“You don’t want to move abroad? What if your husband insists?”
“You don’t want to quit your job? Won’t you sacrifice for your husband?”
And my personal favorite: “No matter what you achieve, you are nothing without a man.”
Excuse me?
Men are raised to lead, to dream, to take.
Women are raised to adjust, to endure, to please.
It’s disgusting. It’s infuriating. And yet, the world calls it “natural law.”
IT'S A RIGGED GAME!
Society tells women to be soft, but not too soft—lest they become weak. To be strong, but not too strong—lest they become intimidating. To be independent, but not too independent—lest they “no longer need men.”
It tells us to be smart, but not so smart that we outshine men. To be opinionated, but not loud. To be ambitious, but not threatening. To be beautiful, but not too distracting.
And men? They get to be anything. No rules. No leash. No one questions if they are too much or too little of anything.
A woman simply breathes wrong and society is ready to crucify her.
But when a man messes up? Excuses. Apologies. Sympathy.
The world holds women to standards it doesn’t even bother to remember for men.
And yet, when a woman decides to break free—when she says NO, when she refuses to fold—she is punished.
Shamed. Mocked. Attacked. Or worse…
Let’s talk about the blood that stains the streets.
Women are killed every single day just for existing.
Femicide is rising.
Rape is rising.
Sexual harassment is rising.
And yet, what does the world do?
It teaches us to be careful. To dress modestly. To not walk alone. To lower our gaze.
We are the ones who get lectures, curfews, and self-defense classes.
Where is the lesson for men? Where is the outrage when another woman is butchered? Where is the justice?
Instead, we get pink cupcakes on Women’s Day.
We get flowery social media posts from companies that still pay us less.
We get empty “women are strong” speeches from men who won’t even speak up when another woman is assaulted.
We get nothing.
And yet—we rise.
To Every Woman Reading This:
DO NOT SHRINK. DO NOT FOLD. DO NOT BREAK.
They have tried for centuries to silence you. They have burned you, beaten you, belittled you.
And yet, you stand.
They have tried to rewrite your story, to strip you of your voice, to mold you into something small.
And yet, you ROAR.
You are NOT a footnote in a man’s legacy.
You are NOT just a daughter, a wife, or a mother.
You are a storm. A rebellion. A war cry wrapped in flesh.
You are fire that refuses to be tamed.
You are the revolution they fear.
You are the future they cannot control.
And if this world cannot handle the full force of your existence?
Then let it burn.
Happy (belated) Women’s Day. And to hell with their expectations.