"Weak", a poem by Mimi Swehli
We are told as we grow that the organs which we possess will control our behaviour and all the rest.
We are told as we grow that a girl is silent and well behaved and that running around shouting, like males do, was not something we should crave.
We are told as we grow that we are fragile and weak and that the males are the ones that will protect us and ensure we rise to our feet.
We are told as we grow things that we pretend don’t affect us. We will prove them wrong; we will show them justice.
But if you are told you are weak time and time again, you begin to believe it because society will play with your head.
You try to play with the boys at school, because running around hitting a football is second nature to you. And yet, we are told as we grow that being a woman is inferior, that female organs are our barriers. That these sport games we wish to play are only the beginning of things we cannot do. Because somewhere along the line someone decided that this wasn’t for you.
We are told that our country needs protecting, that it was time to stand up and show the world the oppression.
We are told its the males that will bring us victory. And the women? Well, they should be at home because they can’t make history.
We are told that harming girls isn’t okay, but why do so many men get away with rape? Because if you are told you’re weak time and time again, you begin to believe it. After all, society can play with your head.
We are told, even by our very own mothers, that we cannot do what our male counterparts could. We are told that any man would always be strong and that they can get away with far more things than we could.
We are told and brought up in a culture which praises men, giving them a head start at life because of the thing between their legs. They go around feeling "all mighty and strong" and treat girls anyway they want. I’ve had a friend shot dead because she did not give her number, I’ve had another who was beaten but was forced to stay with him because he was her "lover".
We are told as we grow, even if never directly so that a man’s word was always above ours. And that he was always sorry for his poor actions and misplaced power. And he never meant to hurt you, but you are just a delicate little flower.
We are told as we grow that a man could never harm us, after all they were the ones that helped us rise to our feet. But what if I’m strong and you made me weak?
