Where I live

 http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2009/10/rape-culture-101.html

How many times have you tried to describe the Pakistani society from a woman's perspective?

This post does a brilliant job of describing what women and vulnerable groups have to endure in a western, educated, liberal society. Pakistan is not describable as an educated, liberal society. Yet, the description is frighteningly closer to home - home which is sadly worse off if not as bad.

I have repeatedly felt the need to put this in words, find a way to describe how things are for a woman within the boundaries of Pakistan. The contrast from other societies that becomes stark as you travel to and from the country. The air in the land of the pure is heavy with sex. As a woman, you cannot help but become conscious of your gender the moment you step onto the Pakistani soil. I would still say the society we live in is several times more oppressive towards women than this post describes.

After reading this, I am now questioning my notions of respectable behavior for women. This is the world our children will grow up in. This is the world in which we ended up learning respectable behavior only to escape 'disrespectable' behavior from men, explicitly labeled 'rape'.

Our learning was conditioned from the beginning. It's foolish and wasteful and against human rights.

On the defensive from the day I was born. I feel outraged at realizing how my mind was conditioned and how I was forced to step away from my natural instinctive reactions.

There is so much women just grow up dealing with, handling. This is not to say men have a better fate but the fierce conditioning of a girl's mind for saving herself from rapacious intents and stares is a much celebrated part of our much glorified culture.

So much so that the women who hide themselves from top to toe, feel terribly proud of themselves.