What is the fun in being a Barbie doll when you can be the Hero?
We cry when we are happy, we smile when we are sad, we say “I AM FINE” when we are not and when we say “WE NEED TO TALK” it means “YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE MISTER”. Yes we are WOMEN!
From childhood, we are subjected to stories about a “Prince or a Knight in shining armour” rescuing the “Damsel in distress.” It is the Prince Charming who arrives looking for Cinderella or the Prince who rescues Rapunzel. And all that Cinderella did was to endure the pain and misery while Rapunzel simply took care of her hair! So the very foundation of our childhood is wrong. We are taught that the bravado belongs to men while women are weak and need to be protected. In all this gender biased craziness, we often lose touch with our other side. The other side is the brave, strong and independent women who don’t need a man to protect her in contrast to the demure one who is on a constant lookout for her Prince. We say that we are broad minded 21st century people who believe in gender equality but do we really mean it? If I am to answer this question, the answer will be “Partially yes.” Today, education has taken us on a new high. Along with it, self-realization has helped us females to get in touch with the knight that resides in us. We have become more independent, wise and in touch with reality. Fairy-tales were a trick used by the society for binding us and our thoughts and to keep us from soaring high in the skies. But now that the binds are broken one after the other, the need for man in our lives to make us feel safe, secure and wanted is gone. From driving a cab to running an entire company, there is no area that we women haven’t ventured and succeeded in. It’s not only the professional front that we have made a mark upon. Today in our society, many women have up responsibility of caring and providing for the family. Now, our role is more than cooking, taking care of kids and reminding the Mr. of the billing date. Infact we pay the bills!!! We don’t do all this to prove a point; we do all this because it matters to us. It is good to be someone’s daughter, sister or wife but it is great to be “ME.” And just so in case men are wondering whom to rescue now; they need to introspect whether it is them who need the rescuing. Think about it! We come into their lives as mothers, sisters or partners, love them with all that we have, care for them, pamper them and make them feel needed. It is proven that mentally and emotionally we are the stronger ones. It is in our arms that the find the strength to face the world. As the famous life-changing speaker Dr. Steve Maraboli says, “I thought I was rescuing her… I thought I was the knight in shining armor… But it turns out; she was the badass princess that was rescuing me.” So this is my message to all men out there: We love chivalry but we do not need rescuing. Treat us as equals and not as an object that helps you in flaunting your “machoism”. To all the women, what is the fun in being a Barbie doll when you can be the Hero?
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About the Author: This article is contributed by Priyanka Desai, our Intern.
