Taboos of Being Me 

“Taboos face me, and from a young age I find that I have to fight things that are not my fault:

• You are a girl, so you are weak, you can’t do this, and you can’t do that
• You are a girl, so as soon as you start growing up a bit, you need to cover up.
• Your body is a provocation, any part of it even just your arms or neck.
• It is getting dark you can’t go out on your own, you need protection. You need a male to care for you – from other males out there!
• There are jobs that are not for a girl, and when I ask why, there is no reply, or no concrete reason.
• Rules bind me even during sleep times, for I am a girl and I have brothers.

Bound by Traditions

Born a girl, is no fault of mine, but that is what I get to feel from the day I am born.

And somehow these taboos seem to follow me anywhere I go, from the hell of life at home with my family, and the boundaries and taboos that I was born with to the next hell of being in a marriage and discovering that the same taboos are there as well. The only difference is the jailer and the types of demands – just because I was born a girl and seemingly weaker.

Society as a whole will either place those same taboos or it will reverse it 360 degrees and suddenly I am game for every predator out there. And, it matters not how well educated he is, or what position he holds – a predator is a predator – and he knows it, I know it, but no one else does.

“Do I dare to speak out ? – I try, I fail or not depends not on me but on those listening to me, for even in the third millennium a man is more heard, feared and listened to”.

Not anymore, women as one hand will change that with their unity and courage as each one of us takes a step and the others follow. It matters not how much time has passed, it is never too late to speak, to take a stance. Those women who have achieved great success will have an even stronger voice that will be heard and heeded. An example of a woman’s courage is seen at  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/13/opinion/contributors/salma-hayek-harvey-weinstein.html      

So, no more taboos, but a step forward every day.