OPINION
" Are you having a boy or a girl ?" asks my enthusiastic neighbour .
" My doctor doesn ' t reveal the sex of the baby ," I reply , hoping she would stop pestering me .
" You are probably having a boy since you ' re hiding the sex ," she replies .
Casual sexism is ruining my life !
My failure to find appropriate words to respond to her absurd notions was probably evident on my face because she took advantage of it and reiterated her opinion for the next 5 months . I could have explained to her that my husband and I are only concerned with the baby ' s health but there ' s only little energy left in me after facing similar encounters of sexism throughout my life .
" You are a big girl now . You should wear a dupatta when you step outside the house ," said my mother to the 12-yr-old me .
I am lazy by birth , so I eventually stopped going out unless accompanied by my parents because finding a matching dupatta for every time I step outside our building in Sharjah seemed too demanding .
" She ' s a pretty girl . Your daughter must receive a lot of marriage proposals ," said a distant and loud relative as she pinched my cheeks . " How old is she ?" the woman asks .
" Thirteen !" my mother replied after recovering from a minor shock .
These comments seem harmless but they have shaped who I am over the years . I am 25 years old and still can ' t go out alone , dislike talking to adults over 40 years of age , and slouch my shoulders when I walk so I don ' t attract unwanted attention to myself .
In a house belonging to a middle-class family of four adults , the young couple is busy working . Both are employed and run the finances of the household . The mother-in-law sees them occupied with work but calls out the daughter-in-law for help in the kitchen .
Text And Illustrations By Aroma Shahid