Malaysian girls have always faced a certain degree of discrimination for simply being born a female.
Many people, especially those nosy uncles and aunties, will always berate us for minuscule things such as our bra strap showing a little, or if we sit in an unladylike manner, etc.
Nhaandhienyiee Harhedausche was one of those girls who wasn’t spared this stereotypical nonsense on the evening of June 19, 2017.
Some sexist stranger chastised her out of nowhere about something ridiculous. She had just done a bit of shopping at a neighbourhood 99 Speedmart when some dude suddenly spoke to her.
She wrote,
“I didn’t wanna waste a plastic bag and I forgot to bring my own. So, I carried the sanitary pads I had purchased in my hand and headed towards my car.
“On the way there, this middle-aged Indian uncle who was seated with his family for dinner on the sidewalk decided to stop me and said…
“Aren’t you shy? You look like a decent girl but you’re carrying the pads in broad daylight like this… Indian some more… what will people think of you?”
As though going through a roller coaster of emotions during that time of the month isn’t challenging enough, now she had to listen to some ignorant fool. So of course her blood boiled!
But Nhaandhienyiee is a rather observant girl. She noticed that the man and his son were seated on chairs while the wife was still standing and waiting for a chair, and the guy didn’t seem to have any physical problems.
So she said to him,
“Are’t you shy? You’re sitting while your wife is standing. You’re a man but you’re doing this… what will people think?”
Shocked and angered by the daring reply of a younger woman, the uncle raised his voice and told her to mind her own business and go away.
However, this sassy girl wasn’t done yet. She replied,
“Whether I shut up and leave or not, it’s none of your business.”
Then, she sashayed out of there like the rock star that she is.
“Point is, pads are pads just like how pampers are pampers.
“Pooping, peeing and women on periods are completely natural human processes. No need to be shy about it. No need to make us feel embarrassed about it.”
That’s right, girl!
Many netizens supported her bold reply and wished for people to stop being total douchebags about such normal things. One netizen commented,
“Both men and women should be educated that menstruation is a normal bodily process. Awesome comeback!”
Why should women be embarrassed about our perfectly normal monthly cycle? It’s high time we all stand up against such ridiculous discrimination just like Nhaandhienyiee. #Respect
Also read: “I Told the Teachers That I Don’t Care If My Kids Don’t Get A’s,” Says Malaysian Father