Your silence is my favourite sound

They (fragile men and insecure women with toxic mindsets) say —

A lady is supposed to hold her tongue.
A lady shouldn’t have tattoos.
A lady should cover up.
A lady is to be soft spoken.
A lady must refrain from drinking or smoking.
A lady should do this, should not do that, should be like this, should not be like that, should listen to this, should not listen to that etc

How is a lady to hold her tongue;
and refrain from tearing down the walls of her abusers;
the rapists, the sexual offenders, the cat callers, the stalkers, the degenerates and the misogynistic men who have thrived in a world
ruled by men for men.
How is a lady to hold her tongue when
too many a times we’ve been shut down
when trying to stand alongside these “men” as equals?
How is a lady to hold her tongue when
voicing out for our own safety has become necessary?

We will hold our tongue no more;
we will use our hurt and spiced words as weapons
against those who seek to leech off of our energy,
against those who seek to invade our independence,
against those who see to taint our bodies with their filthy hands and phalluses,
against those who seek to squelch our efforts to thrive as equals.
We will march forth with the force of a thundering typhoon,
and the intensity of the seven seas.
We will see our children grow up to be successful leaders
in a world where men, women, and all those in between
can coexist and keep each other safe.

Body art on women is not “cruddy,”
especially when men all around the world oogle and gawk at art
in museums and art galleries;
are tattoos not art with stories or meanings?
Are tattoos not a way to express oneself?
Are tattoos not better than unsolicited dick pics?

Tattoos do not define a woman’s worth,
neither they do inhibit their capabilities;
tattoos do not define their ethics,
neither do they affirm archaic stereotypes
that have been coddled in the media surrounding inked women.

Does it sit well with you that
women are evaluated by the way she dresses,
instead of her accomplishments,
or the size of her heart?
Does it sit well with you that
society have made it conventional
to translate the length of a woman’s dress as “consent?”
Does it sit well with you that
the amount of clothing on a woman
is a direct indication of her moral standing?

It should not sit well with you because;
crop tops and skin tight jeans does NOT
mean that she is asking for it.
Covering up does NOT help guarantee a woman’s safety.
It is NOT solely the woman’s responsibility
to stay safe 24/7 when men get to grope thighs and asses
and get away without judgment.
It is not a woman’s sacred responsibility
to not “entice” men when they SHOULD HAVE BEEN
taught basic human decency and respect anyway.
Our clothing are NOT a visual representation of our “consent,”
neither are they a catalyst for your skewed judgments
or predatory behaviours.

We will fight back hard;
so hard that the next time you think of touching our bodies,
our gaze alone will tear you down into nothing but debris.
We will fight back with so much force that —
the next time hurtful words get to the tip of your tongue,
and a verbal diarrhea is imminent,
our words will remind you of your own flawed mindset.
We will render all of your “innocuous” actions ancient history.

A PSA to all the amazing women out there: You are amazing. You are doing great. You are beautiful. You do you.

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