Dear Uncle who kept staring below my neck area today,
Thanks to you I felt like hugging my handbag in hopes of getting a bit of coverage. This is a letter where I want to address all such wonderful uncles who make this society such a lovely place to live in for girls like me.
I was just another girl walking past you on a sunday afternoon wearing a decent tee and jeans. I understand that my anatomy looks a bit more noticeable when I wear a t-shirt instead of a salwar. But then I didn’t want to wear a full pledged salwar to go to a grocery store that is in the next block.
You started looking and your look just intensified even after you noticed that I was glaring you down. I just wanted to ask why? I really did want to stop you then and there and ask what was so interesting on that plain t-shirt of mine that made you look so hard that it made me uncomfortable. A big part of me wanted to scream at you and create a scene on that road.
But I was too tired to do anything. Not just physically. I am emotionally exhausted to even ask why are you people doing this to women like me. I am totally drained out to ask what is wrong in having a pair of breasts. If I remember right, you had to get your milk from one such pair when you were a baby. You had to protect your sister from such awesome guys when hers started developing. If you were too horny you had a wife back home to make love to as well right? Then why do you want to stare at us and make us reach for a shawl/stole? Just why?
I only have questions now.
I never get answers. I only get suggestions. All the time. I just wish one of you uncles could give me an answer. When guys my age harass or molest us the elders blame it on their raging hormones. What about you people? You too have raging hormones? Is that why you guys look at us like that? What should we do to make it stop?
Wear ten layers of clothing? Wear baggy clothes so that none know what size I am underneath it? Carry pepper spray and spray at anyone who looks for more than 13 seconds?
What should be done at all?
Every woman out there is tired of you uncles doing this. If you want to satisfy your raging hormones, there are a number of porn sites available. Please don’t make us any more uncomfortable than we already are. Don’t think of me as your daughter. Don’t think of me as your sister. Don’t think of me as anyone you know. Just see me as a normal human being who has a million issues as it is and try not to add one more extra issue by doing this to me.
Signed,
A girl who is trying to lead a normal life.
They are such a piece of shit dear 🙁 They see us like they have never seen a girl before :/ :/ And its so annoying :/ forget abt tee they stare like that even when we wear a decent kurthi :/ Its not just one or two times a day you experience it , It some times feel like a ramp walk with us in swim suit and these bastards stare at us as if we are to be taken granted :/
P.S : One of the main reason I hate our land men .
Its a sad state really. And then victim blaming just takes it up a notch. Pathetic!
All I’m going to do is share this so that some of those ‘uncles’ can read it and feel ashamed at how they make women feel.
Even if this helps one person change his perspective, it will be a victory for all of us. Thanks 🙂
I think it’s because they are perpetually insecure about their prowess? Or maybe it’s the repressed society in India. Or maybe Freud was right. Whatever is it it’s absolutely disgusting.
The questions just keep coming on and on. I am not sure when any of us are ever going to find an answer. But the questions never stop!
Just sucks that we deal with em stares glares and whistles day in and day out.. I wonder if it will stop if we women decide to walk around naked… Lol…
That is an interesting point. But then that will send them over the edge and lead to nothing i suppose!