Eternal Sakshi Writes

We have made it so common to greet people with “you lost weight, you look great” or “you seem to have put on weight, what’s wrong?” What’s wrong is that we have normalised  body shaming to such an extent that people have started hating their bodies and going through unhealthy habits to lose weight. I choose to encircle myself with body-positive and well-being at every size aligned individual. Due to this, sometimes I forget just how predominant diet-culture and fat-phobia is. Most get-togethers or parties I go to, the topic of choice tends to be comments on people’s bodies and weight. I overhear numerous conversations congratulating others for their weight loss. I wonder how those who are unable to satisfy the beauty standards of society feel in these conversations. Left out, dejected, unfulfilled or even ashamed out of many emotions are experienced, yet they stand there listening, trying hard not to break down. First of all, why does anyo...

P eriods are many things – messy, aching, untimely and very annoying. But one thing they are definitely not is shameful. Despite being a natural human process with biological functions that happen every month, women are taught from a very young age that menstruation is embarrassing, and we should try to keep it concealed and never mention it. The term “she must be on her periods” is associated with “she must be crazy” and that is outright intolerable. There are so many videos out there trying to show “hacks” of how to camouflage our pads and tampons in our bags in case people see it. It is appalling how a normal human process is so stigmatised and forces women to hide the fact that they have their periods. There is nothing to be ashamed of and there should be no reason a woman should ever feel embarrassed to accept they have their periods, or they are in pain. Might I say if men had periods, it would have been  another reason alongside ‘he was dr...

A ccording to society, our adult lives must follow a very specific formula. Get educated, get a job, find a partner, get married, have children, retire then die. If anyone decides to do anything a little differently, they are seen as a pariah, peculiar, a disappointment to their family and even a failure in life. Even though the person may be very comfortable with their life choices and their decisions, society will not let them rest in peace without inappropriate, weighted questions. It might be, “when will you find yourself a boyfriend/ girlfriend?” Or when you do, “When will you get married?” The second they’re married; a new question arises – “when will you have children?” And the list goes on. Nothing will ever satisfy the societal norms, and this burden of expectations is passed on for generations without even realising the harm and mental exhaustion you are causing. Can we all just stop a minute, analyse the enormity of such weighted questions and just stop? Most p...

Turning a blind eye to constant racism had become such a norm that even when someone treated me as a cypher, I silently ignored it. Some of you may say that being in a foreign country, I am bound to experience some racial bigotry. But my first experience of colourism started before I even understood the term colour, race or prejudice. Yet, despite being aware of the mediocrity and diminishing words used against me, I was silent. I was wrong. Because the truth is all our silences in the face of racist assaults are acts of complicity. Racism does not always start from people of the opposite race. It can start from your homes where your family indoctrinates their children to believe that fairer skin implies beauty. Everywhere we look, simply reinforces that belief and people of colour begin to feel inferior without even stepping into the real world. I, myself come from a country of diverse cultures originating from China, India, Africa and other smaller...