Writer: Malak Mahmoud
A couple of days ago, I heard something oddly interesting: a girl said that she doesn’t mind being catcalled; in fact, it makes her feel appreciated.
I was confused, but I couldn’t completely blame her because she’s another victim of society. She’s always awaiting appreciation in any form, and she is hastily running after a messed up society’s standards that rip her of humanity. Starting from her family and ending with the most random encounter in the street, her life is an endless cycle of judgement, craving to fit into the plastic and lifeless shape society is pushing her into. When you’re fed the idea of always seeking approval and appreciation, you start accepting a lot of things you normally wouldn’t be fine with. It develops into a wild addiction you can’t lose.
The thirst for appreciation could make a person stuck in toxic relationships merely awaiting a gesture of liking, and they receive this worshipped gesture after a long, exhausting wait.
They could be fine and ignore all the screaming discomfort within them just to relish the feeling of getting caught in one’s eyes.
“No, you don’t have any rights nor any dreams; you’re incapable of doing anything other than be your husband’s property.”
Thanks to our society that excels in objectifying, most women simply bury their soul in the patriarchal graveyard, exerting all their effort merely to be a sugary, giggly mannequin deserving of marriage. They degrade themselves of every aspect of life, and the incessantly speaking lips of society encourage them to tear themselves apart furthermore.
Society never knows when to stop spouting all of this nonsense, does it? This objectifying basically legalizes different forms of abuse such as domestic violence. It’s as if the humiliation and abuse are the fees that must be paid to be granted the divine gift of fake appreciation. It all begins with a mind-erased young woman feeling proud at a sexually implicit whistle in the street, and it will end with an abused woman that society can’t rescue.
Please, if you know anyone whose thoughts are as messed up, don’t hesitate to help them and give them sincere advice. It will be hard to clutch them out of what they’re raised on, but it’s very important to save a soul from falling into a dark pit. You’re blessed to having a proper mindset, so be generous with spreading awareness. We’re so much more than the society’s standards. We don’t need approval or appreciation to be “someone.”
