4 Ways Females Are Suffering in Nepal

Introduction

There are countless articles written on the never ending list of the sufferings of females. The rage of being born as a woman and treated unjustifiably burns to the point that it feels like a curse. There's enough fuel on the internet and in our lives to burn that fire so this article and the “SUFFERED” series as a whole aims to provide a sense of relatability and support in a tranquil way without enraging or provoking impulsive thoughts in the reader's mind. We tend to point the finger of our sufferings to a particular group of people or society as a whole but at the end, every member of the society has faced their own share of struggles and we aim to provide a platform for them to share and access stories they can relate to and learn from.

Whilst I did say that this article is supposed to be unprovocative, I believe that it is impossible to write about women's struggles without boiling some blood and shedding some tears. As I write this, I am fighting the urge to have a full-on rant session and copy-paste a full dialogue from “Barbie (2023)”. Still, let me start with one line from the movie; “It is literally impossible to be a woman”

I'm not even going to get started on what millions of women out there, especially ones living an underprivileged life have to go through. As a 17 year old girl living in the 21st century, raised in a privileged, stable home in Nepal, I still face many struggles just because I was born as a female. These are few major ones:

Note: The article isn't intended to oppress freedom or to shame self-expression. The images and words used in this article is solely for awareness and wiser look into the underlying sufferings of Females.

ILLUSION OF PSEUDO-SOLUTIONS:

Capitalism is feeding off of women's insecurities and providing the illusion of solutions which do not address the root cause of their struggles. Brands use slogans like “girl boss” or “empowered women empower women” but still exploit female workers. Feminism is reduced to buying expensive products rather than dismantling real oppression. The symbol of being an empowered and confident woman is lost in beauty pageants, fancy clothes and make-up.

We have the right to wear what we want but how it's being mistaken for young girls is that they think wearing revealing clothes and getting your makeup, hair and nails done is how we express our freedom and rebellion but it is not true. We must be careful of what we choose to idolize. All of these things gives momentary strength, a flash of bravery but the whole meaning is misrepresented, misused to sell things to women whilst it's slowly eating up at our inner selves.

MISREPRESENTATION OF FEMINISM:

The terms "feminism" and "women empowerment" has come a long way. What started as a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression has turned into a trend and way of living. The word has been overexaggerated to great lengths. Being a feminist simply means believing in equal rights for all genders. It's not about hating men. It's not about women being better than men. It's not about eschewing femininity and becoming masculine. Men and women both have their own roles. We cannot ignore our biology.

Due to the misrepresentation of feminism, we feel the need to distance ourselves from it in order to avoid being labelled as “angry” or “radical” which is forcing us to constantly defend our struggles rather than focusing on actual progress. Feminism is still important because even in a world that's moving forward at such a rate that it's difficult to catch-up, our society and thinking keeps moving backwards. This distorted view must be rectified and we must reclaim the narrative that feminism is about equality, not extremes.

FEAR:

We are instilled with fear from the moment we are born. The dangers of the world are drilled into our minds day and night. We have the freedom to go out but we can never fully enjoy it as the constant fear haunts us. There are men that tease others' daughters and come back home to teach their daughters to stay alert from men with “bad intentions”. Ironic isn't it? Well this isn't even the tip of the iceberg. Yes, it's “not all men” but it sure as hell is all women. Parents obviously want what is best for their children and worry about their safety but constantly getting reminders have created such a deep rooted fear in most women and that isn't talked about enough.

Seeing a group of men when walking down the street and now im suddenly praying for my safe return, walking fast anytime i see a shadow lurking behind me, late nights and early mornings are only spent at home, stares and catcalling when walking down the street to get morning groceries or heading to school, the list goes on and on. You can never trust anyone. Not your family, not your friends, not your partner and definitely not the police because you never know what their true intentions might be.

EXPECTATIONS AND BIASNESS:

Every member in society has their own roles to play but pressurizing them to fulfill those roles only leads to harm. Females are expected to do this and do that, and be this and be that. We are never enough. Rooted in the deep cultures of the patriarchal society, women are grounded with responsibilities, work-life balance and double standards on many things . We have the freedom to work but are still held back one way or the other. Our hands always seem to be tied with shackles of limitations and images that we can never get rid of.

We are allowed to fulfill our dreams but don't always get the most accepting environment wherever we are. There will always be people watching your every move to pull you down or passing comments pointing out all the little ways how you’re not good enough. Females have to act a certain way, behave a certain way and do certain things even against our will. We are educated and should be able to fight for our rights, dress up and look presentable in fancy clothes, make-up, fake nails and lashes yet always be simple and sanskari.

Conclusion

Even with all the resources and education I have, I am still dumbfounded and disappointed at how society is shaped. In the end, we all blame society but WE ARE SOCIETY. Each and every one of us contributes to this and there is no denying it. We cannot change the past but we can change the future. No matter how difficult it is, every person should discontinue the cycle of generational trauma. Just telling the future generation isn't enough because they learn from us so it is up to us to change our habits and way of thinking so that we can truly influence them and make an impact.