Sexism is part of our daily lives, runs in every household; is part of every conversation we hold with every unconscious remark and yet we fail to acknowledge why the world is full of such discrimination.
These are four ‘harmless’ sexist phrases you might have been using which have been around for way to long. These remarks contribute to a greater issue and an unsafe future for generations to come. Let’s all make a conscious effort to exterminate such phrases.
‘Man up’
The second we associate gaining strength with a gender, we are undermining the power of the opposite gender.
As if to say, that failing to act like a man automatically places you in a ‘feminine’ category which is considered ‘weak’. This does not do men any favours either, they are indirectly asked to ‘Man up and suppress their feelings’ which takes a mental toll like no other. On the contrary, it furthermore promotes toxic masculinity which in a country full of inflated male egos, we definitely need less of.
Every second you spend reading this, there is a woman out there giving birth, a strong woman enduring heights of pain and exhibiting vigor. Aren’t women also the epitome of strength, and yet you rarely hear anyone say, ‘Woman up’?
‘Boys will be Boys’
This phrase is like cancer for our society and this is why; when this phrase is employed, it’s usually to excuse any form of a boy’s misdemeanor. Not only does this excuse the wrong done by males but the phrase conveniently strips them off of any accountability for their actions, since ‘boys will be boys’ regardless of the gravity of their doings.
This notion from a young age feeds the vulnerable minds an idea of false power, ‘You can get away with it because you were born a boy’. If they’re incompetent to anticipate the repercussions of their actions, it’s not because they’re males and their gender can’t help it, its because they choose to be that way and we let them. Have some social responsibility and snip lethal patriarchy in the bud.
‘Marriage material’
Rishta aunties, this one’s for you; what is marriage material? A woman whose sole purpose in life is to nurture whilst ignoring her own needs or a sole provider who showers his wife with Cartier and biannual international trips?
The word ‘Material’ and ‘Marriage’ juxtapose each other so much that I wonder who started this irresponsible phrase in the first place. As soon as the word ‘Material’ is put together with ‘Marriage’, we are excluding any human element or sentiment, it’s all just about who fits the perfect marriage bill.
We will say this once, loud and clear for all the people in the back; ‘Marriage Material’ are ALL those people who want to love and be loved in the institution of marriage, and nothing more!
‘Who wears the pants?’
This question doesn’t do justice to either of the genders in a relationship. When you assign one person as wearing the pants you undeniably pigeonhole them with stereotypical roles which imply that one is better at a task than the other.
Calling a woman as wearing the pants in the relationship emasculates the man and calling a man as wearing the pants creates a notion of the woman’s lack of control over their narrative.
Last time we checked, a couple’s relationship dynamic is not your or our business, so do yourselves a favor and stop asking who wears the pants. They both do. Let’s leave it at that.
