so yesterday i shared two screenshots of my conversation with my brother
a very harmless conversation aimed at raising some awareness regarding something aka menstruation. most of u were very supportive, i luv y’all

but rn
we’re gonna talk about the hate it got

a thread 1/n

im no expert in the demographical statistics but more than half the population of Pakistan is female, or atleast half, whatever

which means that many women bleed through their vaginas every month aka menstrustion aka periods

all the men at the back: “hawwww begherat larki”2/n

the largest majority of these women do not have access to sanitary napkins aka PADS.

they use and reuse cloth instead of a napkin

unhygienic condition->infections->complications->DEATH

men at the back: “she said PAD. Beghairat”

despite it being a fast world, we are still stuck among superstitions and taboos

menstruating women are removed from the households, they cant touch anything or anyone, they cant eat in the same plates, they are treated like PLAGUE for something thats no crime but is natural 3/n

forget the educationally backwarded people, lets talk about us, the more privileged faction.

when a girl hits her periods, she’s supposed to keep quite about her cramps which are a TERRIBLE deal, made to hide and lie about her problem while having their moms shush at them 4/n

to questions, the answers were “didnt come to school cause headache/not going to qari sahab cause vomiting/cant pray namaz cause bus chutti hai behan ki tum jao parho”

every girl has made these ridiculous excuses while being FULL AWARE that qari sahab knows

embarrassing 5/n

said embarrassing because thats what we’d been forced to feel about it.
embarrassed of something that is an indication of a good female health, embarrassed of something that marks our womanhood

6/n

i was 11 when i started mestruating. i have 2 brothers, no sister.
i grew up worrying that my brothers will see my things, will find a spot of blood, will inquire too much about my cramps or start interrogating why im not going to the qari sahab

“men q jaun agr ye ni ja rae”7/n

5 days straight, no qari sahab, no namaz, no quran ki tilawat????

the questions would come again and again and ami would take them for me, fishing out excuse after excuse and i hid behind her because i was embarrassed of what was happening to me

“ami ye diaper kiska hai?” 8/n

up till i was 16, my mom managed to my “situation”. sometimes, id write a small chit with what i wanted, give it to the driver and wait for the maasi to go receive the secret mystical parcel wrapped in brown paper and super hidden in a blue shopper

9/n

a) i was too embarrassed to go to the shop myself
b) now the driver knew that i need Always Ultra Thin k do dabbay BUT GOD FORBID ghar k kisi mard ko pata chalta????? no chance

lkn it was ok tab tak, brother 1 was 15 and brother 2 was 10. abhi zara chotay thay

10/n

by then, im pretty sure brother 1 knew what was up with the sis and SO NOW, there was constant embarrassment of him knowing what was up with me

the torture. chup chup k bathroom jana, tooti chala k pads kholna k awaz na jaye, wearing double layers to prevent soiling uff

11/n

by 18, i started going to the market myself

heres the drill: look down, down look anyone in the eye, silently walk to the isolated stand with the packets, without looking up, hurriedly thrust the packs in a blue shopper, tie it, go to the counter, DONT LOOK IN THE EYE —contd

feel embarrassed, the counter guy actS all shade and secretive, fishes a SECOND BLUE SHOPPER, super hides the nuclear bomb and u silently walk out of the market. DONT LOOK EM IN THE EYES SIS

12/n

im almost 21.
and im TIRED of being this way, scared, embarrassed, acting like iv committed crime.

so now i tell my brothers why im convulsed on the pain, whining with pain, they know why im not praying and its made EVERYTHING EASIER FOR ME. 13/n

woman are purposefully made to feel uncomfortable in their own skin

boys will PURPOSEFULLY ask u questions to make u uncomfortable knowing full well what the problem might be

“Kitne rozay rakhay? puray nai rakhay? khair hai, q nai rakhay?”

If a woman doesn’t know how to driver and neither does her mom and its sunday sadly and theres no driver on duty (if there even is one) and her periods hit her on the wrong, WHAT THE FUCK IS THE POOR GIRL SUPPOSED TO DO??????

15/n

lets talk about him.

our men are so conditioned to think k bhaio ka kam srf behno se khidmatain krana hai k he’s SHOCKED k koi bhai behan ki khidmat kese kar raha hai

then he goes on to call it incest as if he knows what that means. 16/n

my brother’s sexual outcomes are not my business and my sexual activities arent his but MENSTRUATION HAS GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF THAT.

little brains throwing out big words without knowing the right meaning

men smh 16/n

this guy here is implying that menstruation makes us filthy

thats some blood coming our a vagina. YOU cam out of ur mom’s vagina too. YOU FILTH 17/n

this guy here thinks k a brother being empathetic and helpful to his sister deserves lanat

no sir, the guy who actually deserves lanat in you who thinks u r too privileged while ur women are not therefore they should be left on their own to deal with something like this 18/n

the world is already discussing these matters. its you, locked up in ur shell of illiteracy who isnt ready to.

if you think talking about menstruation is vulgarity, you’re uneducated. because talking about this wont corrupt young minds but will make them more considerate 19/n

yeah so THIS particular guy is hurling abuses at a 15 year old without knowing him and coming up with all sort of vile and lewd comments BUT THAT isnt disgusting for y’all is it?

disgusting is my brother helping me out in an emergency situation AND offering me chocolates LOOL

lets educate him, shall we?
when something’s a taboo, you TALK about it so people like u get to learn about so that it doesnt remain a taboo

Education. Awareness.

GAWD? dIgnIty n sHamE?

a dignified brother will always choose his sister’s comfort. i guess u arents one.

at the point, iv lost the counting.
anyways, lets see privilege speak.

i dont even want to say anything to this, im disgusted. y’all know better

these are just a few examples of what toxic masculinity looks like but this isnt all.

iv seen WOMEN hating on me but i dont feel respite for them, i feel sorry. because they’ve been conditioned to think like this. to be embarrassed and scared

they’ve been dictated “morals and ethics” with such sad descriptions, it saddens me.

ethics teach the men of ur family to b kind, helpful, caring and empathetic. ethics dont teach women to cower in a corner for days, worrying and being embarrassed. NOPE

mothers need to start raising stronger and more empowered women and sons who are not trash.
sons who respect womanhood, not just oggle it on streets and jerk off to random women in parking lots

thats not disgusting haina? ye b aurat ki ghalti haina?

im proud of the comfort level i share with my brothers. they are my bestfriends and my confidantes.

i got similar sort of hate when i shared my conversation with the other brother when i told him about the guy i like.
people called us beghairat, behaya, undignified etc etc

because apparently its ok for men to share nudes among each other, use and share women, catcall and slutshame them but god forbid a brother extending a positive support towards his sister? TAUBAH BEGHAIRAT LARKA

so here’s the conclusion.

MAJORITY of u are trash. my brothers are not. they are human version of gems
u men hate us cause u failed to be helpful and kind brothers to ur sisters and u women hate us cause u WISH u had with ur brothers what i have with mine.

“HAW U CALLED US TRASH BLA HLA BLA BLA BLA JDJDJECJ BLA HLA”

THE END.

OH HOW COULD I FORGET THIS GEM.

sort of guy who asks for nudes at 13, talks to girls from a fake ID

esi jahil awam k bech main hum reh rahay hain