What I want as a woman

by Nabila Asad Khawaja

I DON’T call myself a feminist. That’s because sometimes I don’t agree with a lot of ideas associated with that, but I do know what I want and the changes I need in this world as a woman. You might not agree with me and some might, but I can assure you my ideas aren’t that bad.

Growing up in a progressive and modern family, I had the privilege of not getting bullied. Then while I was growing up, I started seeing the world outside and felt a sudden stab in my gut with the cultural shock. I saw the difference between a boy and a girl, which was absent in my life all these years.

Life was good till I got “IT”, as in my period. I was too young and had no clue what it was I actually got as it happened before time, but my family didn’t make me feel any different. I only felt the difference when some people got to know about it.

I was never physically abused, but the way people looked at me and the things they said, made me feel naked standing in front of the world. I felt stripped by their look and ashamed of myself. I’m sure many others felt the same and it’s something no little girl should have to feel.

Today, the basic thing I want for all the young girls growing up is to feel safe. If a young girl can go through the physical change and accept that the menstruation cycle is nature, why can’t we educate our boys that this is a natural process that happens just like puberty. If a girl can handle it, why can’t a boy just understand and why do so many grown men still consider it a taboo subject. Why do we have to treat nature as a disease, taboo or stigma and why not accept it as the natural physical change? Why not make it easier for young girls to blossom? Why not eradicate period poverty globally?

We don’t treat a growing boy differently when they go through puberty and neither do we ask them to cover up, so why treat the menstrual cycle as a disease?

Why not accept that it is the most natural physical changes in a woman’s body.

A small change in mindset can make a huge difference in society globally. Children are smarter than we think and way more sensitive towards the world than we can even imagine. Just a little education can not only make that difference, but also be an important first step towards equality, which matters.

Males and females are different from each other, but that doesn’t mean they are not equal. We are all the fruits of the creator and have that same importance. This early step towards understanding and equality is definitely the first thing I want as a woman. If it happens, we can stop inequality right in the beginning, before it even starts and build a better world.

Nabila Asad Khawaja is a proud single mother of a beautiful boy. She has worked as a teacher and healthcare worker, and is a wannabe stand-up comedian, describing herself as mojito personified.

Visit nabilak.simplesite.com and Twitter @NabilaKhawaja