Feminism

 

''This is not a men vs women issue. It's about people vs prejudice.''

                                  -Laura Bates

I recently came across an “anti-feminist” page on Instagram and that had me thinking… what kind of education is being imparted these days. This page targets what people, who tag themselves as feminists but are actually pseudo feminists, do. The page fails to recognize the difference between the two. I am writing with the intention of clarifying what both the terms mean. Many people of my age still aren't educated enough about it disheartening. Feminism is a misunderstood concept and many are against it because they don’t understand the actual meaning.

Who is a Feminist?

A feminist is someone who believes that all genders should have equal rights. Someone who doesn’t discriminate between any gender. Feminism includes rights of everyone. If a girl and a guy are assaulted then both should get justice. If the guy doesn’t get the justice he deserves, that’s not feminism. Feminism aims to end patriarchy which negatively affects men and woman.

Who are Pseudo Feminists?

People who support only their own or one specific gender or believe that one particular gender should be superior than others are pseudo feminists. Many people consider themselves feminists when in fact their behaviour says otherwise. They wanna create a world where only they rule which is defying the rules of feminism.

Actions of pseudo feminists lead to people believing that feminism in general is toxic. If a girl hits a guy and then files a complain when he hits her back is not feminism. Putting down men is not feminism. A while ago, Instagram was filled with stories of the ‘Bois Locker Room’. It involved screenshots of random boys passing exploitative comments on girls and giving rape threats to one in particular. Later it was revealed that the girl who was being ‘threatened’ had falsely accused the boy and she just wanted to assess his character. The boy committed suicide due to societal pressure. Many hashtags surfaced such as fake feminism and more. This is an example of pseudo feminism. Cases like this lead people to believe that feminism is toxic when, in fact, this is not feminism. A girl expecting the boy to pay for the bill because she is a feminist is not feminism.

Calling out your friends and close ones when they display such behaviour is a must. The world will truly be a better place when inequality ends. But the road to having such a world is a long and difficult one. Granted that we have accomplished much in the past decades, the fight for equality of all is still a long term dream.

Instagram: @priyxnshii.xo

Until next time,

Cheerio!

 

How I met my Best Friend...Again

 

I was in 3rd grade when my frenemy left our school. I didn’t really care much since I always thought of her to be someone with an unnecessary attitude. I didn’t hate her but I wasn’t very close to her either. We had the same friend group and she was my least favorite for reasons I cannot recall. I remember sharing my apples with her because I didn’t like them. But she loved them. She wore her hair braided and pushed back. I met her mom once, the sweetest woman ever, a year or so after she left.

  Cut to 6 years later, in 9th grade, I am sitting in my class and during attendance, I hear the teacher call out the name Priyanka Sanil. I thought what are the odds that she is the same person from my childhood. By that time obviously, I didn’t despise her as I did back then. I also couldn’t recall her surname. For a few months, her name was on the list but she didn’t show up. Every time the teacher called her name, she would pop into my mind. One fine day I walk into class to find a new girl sitting on my bench with her hair braided and pushed back. I found her to be quite familiar but couldn’t figure out who she was. I went and took a seat next to her and we introduced ourselves. 10 minutes later she asks me whether a girl was still in the same school or not. Now, this girl was one of the members of our group 6 years ago. I said yes, she still studied here. 2 minutes later I say to her “I think I know you”, she said I looked familiar to her too [ turns out she was bluffing, she couldn’t remember anything about me except my name and felt bad to say this to my face]. She said she used to be in this school and it dawned on me that she was in fact the same person I used to share my apples with. We both SQUEALED at this revelation. What made this crazy was that my bench partner seldom remained absent. Priyanka’s time of arrival couldn’t be more perfect.

It’s been 4 years since then and we are best friends now. Back then I didn’t know she would become a person with such paramount importance in my life. We are so similar yet so different. I couldn’t ask for a better best friend.

This is how I met my best friend. We like to call our reunion a twist of fate.

Also shoutout to her for designing my posters.

Instagram: @priyxnshii.xo 

Until next time, 
Cheerio!

Troubled

 Troubled

So many of us
Living in places called home
A place where you are supposed to feel loved and cared for
A home free of violence and hatred
A home with no judgments
Yet here we are
Living in homes we want to escape
Dreaming of one day
Creating a place for our younger selves
Dreaming of caring and loving them
They way we should have been cared for and loved
They way we should have been protected from the danger lurking in our own home
We grew up too early
Some are still battling the nightmares
Some are learning to let it go
Some, like me, are creating pieces of art
For others like me
Or is it that we wanna care and love our younger self ? 

                 

                             - Priyanshi Shahi 

My Instagram: @priyxnshii.xo

ReplyForward

Gothic Lilies

Gothic Lilies 

If Persephone can be both 

The queen of hell and goddess of spring 

Why can't I have a heart of flowers and a little bit of ruin 

I can love people while still being malicious to some 

Its always only goth or cottage core 

Why not both 

I would like to walk with my lover under a glittery night sky 

With a lily tucked behind my ear and hands holding tight 

Not in a park or a beach 

But in a castle abandoned and forgotten 

Somedays I like Hozier, the others I jam to Gothic rock  

Somedays I put on gloss and add freckles, the others I do a graphic black liner 

I wanna walk in the park in afternoon 

When the resplendent sunlight casts shadows of my friends and I 

Clad in dresses and skirts 

Beautified by patterns of roses and butterflies 

Wearing scents of lavender and vanilla 

Some nights I wanna watch a horror film under the moonlight with my best friend

 And perform magical rituals after 

It's a good thing both have an affinity for art 

                                       -Priyanshi Shahi 

Instagram: @priyxnshii.xo 

Why you should avoid fast fashion brands

     

         

"Its only one cheap T-shirt" said 7 billion people.

A week ago, I was sitting in a café with an old friend, talking about the shadiness of fast fashion brands specially Urbanic and Shein. I realized many people still buy from said brands completely oblivious about their fraudulent businesses.

Here’s a list of reasons why you should avoid fast fashion brands

1.Producing knock-offs and duplicating

A genuine designer requires around 6 months to produce designs, manufacture them and launch brand new collections. Fast fashion brands do this within a week by duplicating the same designs and making minor changes. This is legal since the brands are not producing counterfeits rather, they are making products that only resemble the original designs. Many original creators are lost in this process because their designs are copied so much. New clothing lines arrive every week which brings me to my next point.

2. Underpaid/Underage labor

To launch a new line every week, fast-fashion requires cheap labor. These laborers are made to work in inhuman conditions and paid little to no wage. One cannot make cheap clothing, pay workers generously and keep the working conditions clean and safe to work in.

In 2013, a preventable structural failure caused Rana Plaza in Bangladesh to collapse killing 1132 workers and maiming 2500 people. The owner of the plaza was well aware of the risks yet threatened to cut off the workers’ minimal wages lest they remained absent. Even after voicing their concerns, they couldn’t take a leave since they were being paid 14 to 16 cents an hour.

3. Pollution and Waste

Mass production results in too many clothes ending up in landfills and creating waste that takes centuries to decompose. Polyester, nylon etc, use almost 342 million barrels of oil per year. A semi-synthetic fabric called Viscose is derived from wood pulp. Approximately 33% of this fabric is taken from either ancient or threatened forests and only 30% of the total harvest ends up becoming garments. The rest is either dumped or incinerated. 

The whole process of manufacturing clothes uses a lot of toxic chemicals which are often dumped in various water bodies, making them too toxic to use. Mostly these are village rivers. Indonesia has factories of Zara and H&M that dump their waste in a river called Citarum river. Using this water has caused liver problems in young children. 

 

 

It's high time we started supporting eco-friendly, ethical clothing brands and thrift stores. Instead of buying new clothes often, buying multi-purpose clothes should be taken into account.

Let me know in the comments section about any ethical and eco-friendly brands that you support.

Instagram: @priyxnshii.xo 

Until next time,

Cheerio!

How I started reading

"The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world their own shame"

                                             -Oscar Wilde

 I have been into reading since time immemorial. As a kid, I would pick up anything with words on it and start reading it. At the age of 9, I was gifted a book of short stories by my cousin, that he picked from his own shelf, which is one of the most heartwarming gestures for me. I would always finish reading the stories of my English textbook the day I got my hands on them.

Initially, I was repulsed by the idea of reading novels because I thought them to be too far-reaching and complex. But in 9^th grade I was introduced to The Twilight Saga by my friend who wouldn’t shut up about it. Unhesitatingly, I bought the whole series the same day and that enamoured me to novels.

Reading is my form of escapism from my tedious and monotonous life. Books are of paramount importance to me. They helped me withstand 2020 without going insane. They take me to wonderful places without me having to get up. Once in 10^th Grade, my mom half-burnt a book because I wouldn’t stop reading it. I now laugh at it but back then I was reduced to tears.

Some of my favourites would be Percy Jackson and the Olympians without a doubt, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass and the list goes on.

Let me know what kind of books you prefer!

This is my Instagram

Until next time,

 Cheerio!

Unremembered

I gaze at the door of memories 

Of us 

I remember stashing away the keys
Somewhere i couldn't find, reach
Yet somehow i do
I stand still wondering
Do i wanna go through this path again
For days, months,  years
I have relived the pain again and again
For days, weeks, months
I convinced my mind not to wander through that hallway again
Yet here i am
Gazing at the door of memories
Of us
Again
But this time
Is different
Instead of unlocking it
I hold the keys
And walk away 

       -Priyanshi