A first-person monologue addressing gender-based discrimination and societal restrictions on women. The speaker recounts personal experiences of being discouraged from travel, education, and driving, describes overcoming barriers to pursue teaching and higher education, and names inspirational women who influenced her determination.
Chapters
Should women have the right to vote? Depends on who you ask. Nobody respects women more than Donald Trump. A pretty face wasn't enough to make a political impact, implying that Priyanka Gandhi has no other achievement. And of course women must earn less than men. They are weaker, they are less intelligent. Girls can't play no ball. Poker Hunters. Elizabeth Warren Is it offensive? You tell me. Oh, and women can't drive or ride bicycles. In a nutshell, this means every woman has a male guardian who makes crucial decisions for her. You can use a car, you just can't buy it as without the permission from your male guardian, you can't open your own bank account. She's a girl, stupid. Girls can't inherit. It's always been and will always be important for men to do men thing and women to do women things. I can actually recall many times where people told me that I could not do something because I'm a girl. I have some obstacle is when I need to travel alone. For example, I wanted to go to Nepal to study Buddhism. And I was told by my father that Nepal is not the right place for a girl like me. And I was like, in a girl like me? What does that even mean? You know, as if the world is not a safe place for a girl and I was not allowed to pursue my dream. That was when I decided to go to Afghanistan as a volunteer People, they were like, you know, a bit doubting and they were like, are you sure? Maybe I'm not strict enough or not hard enough. I do get influenced by feelings from others. Kind of got that image that this is a bad thing to be female, to feel. And I used to receive this questions or statements. Why are you still pursuing your passions or exploring new places and things when you should be at home making babies? So I heard from people from my family that I could not move and study abroad because I was a girl and I should be with my family. I feel that I always need to prove myself in films and media and television at school and examples, you know, the examples were always boys because I was a girl, they would say, you should not do that. And my dad today still doesn't let me drive his car. My two brothers are allowed and I'm still not. This was because I'm a woman, nothing else. And it really made me doubt myself a lot because I was like, should I go by myself? What should I do? But my inner calling was, you have to do it, you've got to do it. And that made me even more, I guess, hungry to prove that No, I can make it. Definitely. I took this step and instead I took a plane completely on my own and I ran away. I was actually the first female teacher who was allowed to teach male students. I am the first girl actually from my village to go to a public university. I started my program and I hosted ministers, prime minister. And I cannot believe I actually could have lost one of the biggest opportunities of my life and the most fulfilling trip of my life just because of listening to a fear that others were putting on me. Who I find the most inspiring. That's my niece. It's my mother. Jacinta Ardor. Sandria Ortacio Cortez. Tina Kandelaki Irina Hakamata Maya Angelou. Michelle Obama. How she's very strong in her moral and her purpose. She's 13 years old, but when she was just 11, she won a battle against cancer. And I'm so inspired by her that I got a tattoo of her face on my back just to remind me that I am my mother's daughter. And whatever life that throws at me, I got this. Her strength, her positivity, her authenticity and her love for life is still an inspiration not only for me, but everybody. And that pushed me also to think that I can also do it. As a lesson to teach yourself and to teach up and coming little girls as well, I would say to truly be who you are and embrace who you are in both your happiness and in your unpleasant feelings is the most powerful thing that I will ever let go of. It's your life. So it's totally up to you to decide what you're gonna make out of it. You know, show with actions what can be done by a girl like.
