The Whole She Bang written by Lalita Iyer, opens up a whole world of women, and only women. Not many men really know about this world, filled with periods, unloved bodies, torturous bras, enemies of vaginas like thongs. And. Much. Much. More.
If you have already become uncomfortable after reading till here, I advice you to leave immediately.
The author has conveniently incorporated the most important, yet disastrous life experiences, which have often lead me to the most embarrassing moments of my life. Of course, there must me more to come.
The one point that struck me while reading in between the lines was that long lasting, till death do us apart, no longer works. Not all, but plenty of marriages have an expiration date. Sure, you can drag along the relationship, but it can be a complete waste of time.
Emotional blackmail has been a part of our lives since the day we were born. And from the time we were start babbling our first word, we are taught the most sexist fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White and other crappy stories which always concluded that a woman can only have a happy ending with her 'Prince'.
According to the society, women and cooking go hand in hand. Frankly, I prefer eating, but there are certain days, when I feel like cooking a grand feast. White sauce pasta, mashed potatoes, cream chicken. I have a talent for cooking.
However, I am not going to add that to my resume (of marriage).
If I get married, I really don't think I would be cooking 3 meals on a daily basis. Maybe once in a blue moon.
Men obviously have no idea about the painful ways of maintenance women have to go through, only to make sure they don't end up looking like a homeless drug addict. Waxing, facials, mani-pedis are as important as brushing your teeth.
And while women are supposed to look pretty in pink all the time, their work-life balance is completely opposite. In order to create that balance, job hopping becomes redundant to make sure you don't end up making presentations in your office till 1 AM.
In the end, I would like to add that a man would not be able to understand the atrocities a woman has to go through, only to look a fine young woman. The adjustments of a marriage, handling work and a child, society's perceptions and those tiny sacrifices that end up taking huge chunks of her personal life, you should be fucking happy for not being a woman.
