Schoolyard bullying and the fight for equal rights

Hey guys! So this isn't exactly a rant here. Okay, maybe it is. It's something that's been going through my head for quite some time now and that is this whole system of school hierarchies. Back in school, I remember there was this whole categorization system on the basis of your looks, wealth and grades (much like when you grow up huh?) 

But what I'm trying to say is- this entire system of categories and stereotypes really pissed me off. Not only because it was illogical, but because it was downright unfair.Especially to those of us who are more heavily built. 

When you're a kid- not even 13- other kids would be picking on you for being chubby, or skinny, or getting better grades, or for losing in games. This is acceptable up to a point. I'll give them some things for being young and of underdeveloped minds. After that, it just gets outright twisted. You see kids as young as 8 years worrying about their weight. Kids crying about the fact that they can't run as fast as the others.

I have been a victim of pointless bullying. Although not to a creepy extent. But bullying nonetheless. Being an English speaking kid in a Hindi speaking area wasn't exactly very comfortable. First I was called "Angrej" (similar to being called foreigner). Then later I was bullied for being chubby. I was called fatty for a lot of my life (whether as an insult or sometimes, even in fun, it hurts us you know?)and this pissed me off the MOST. Because this one aspect of being "fat", sidelined a LOT of the achievements I had,like being good at art, or writing. In fact, I think getting better marks made it even worse in some ways. So I was the fat nerd now. Though I didn't care for it a lot of the time, but after a point, the bullying just got to me, and something in my brain snapped. 

When I was a teenager, I hated being called fat so much, I went onto this whole "hostility mode" where I'd restrict my food intake and be hostile towards anyone who even looked at me funny. Although strangely enough, this was also the time I had some of my most intellectual moments where I discovered "non-conformity" and how and why it was hated by our society. That was the time I realised - I was meant to be a logical human being, with the same rights as any man out there. I had the right to speak my mind and be myself, whether society liked it or not. I had great intellectual potential going to waste because I cared about what others thought. I then fully saw a picture of peer pressure which I had not seen before completely.

How I looked at the society around me ( and often, still do), except the Spencer Tracy bit

I noticed that the girls around me were more susceptible to criticism. More likely to change themselves to fit in. And I realised I was becoming a part of them by trying to lose weight. And that was when I decided, "I am taking a stand! Screw you and your sexist, misogynistic expectations!"(And this applied to girls and boys, both) And so, for the second time in my adolescence, something snapped in my brain again. And this time, for the better. 

Being a fat kid in South Asia isn't really easy and being chubby isn't as widely/easily accepted among women. So taking this stand was hard. Very hard. But I stuck to it. Although I must say, a lot of people in school were really narrow minded when I tried to explain gender equality and its importance to them. It's like they REFUSED to believe that such a thing existed, especially the guys. All the same I stuck by what I believed and even developed good friendships as a result too. [And by the way, it's not like all guys are jerks, many of them can be pretty understanding and nice too. And even women can be sexist by supporting things such as "size zeros", etc. ]

So anyhoo, I am happy now. In fact after entering college, I discovered even more people who thought like me and found enlightenment in sociology, which showed me an even more logical approach to the matters that bothered me about society. (It's awesome when you read a book which talks about stuff which you always thought of for years!)


In fact, I will add to that and say I am a happy, self loving individual who hold my rights and freedoms very dear to me. And any person who thinks they are superior in any way due to their sex, IQ or whatever other shit they can think of, all I can say is: 

Screw you, societal perceptions!

So this is something that I keep getting worked up about now and again, and I am sure most of you do- societal perceptions and their ridiculousness. Our society is very unjust in what it perceives as acceptable and what is looked down upon. 

For example, an overweight man will usually be seen as "jovial". But on the other hand, see an overweight woman, and you'll hear comments like "whoa, she needs to lose weight!" or "she's really let herself go".

Men are given more leeway when it come to looks. While a woman who may be, for example, intelligent but chubby- is still not given as much favour as compared to the doe-eyed girl standing next to her. Women are expected to possess good personalities, wit, intellect AND gorgeous figures. Plus they are often expected to meet certain height requirements too! As if THEY decided what height they wanted to be right?

This SYSTEM in itself is totally UNACCEPTABLE!

And another thing- when an overweight girl mentions this, it's because "she's jealous". Because pretty girls wouldn't care about body image and societal perceptions right? Also, feminists are often perceived as man-hating, unattractive females or women with lesbian tendencies. That's like saying all men who pay attention to their looks are gay. 

And the most irritating thing is how rampant this sexism and stereotyping is in South Asia!(For example, chick wearing deep-neck shirt suddenly walks past; random person:" look at her shirt- showing off her boobs like no one's business!" *her integrity, dignity,etc is questioned after that*). Though that's not to say that it doesn't happen in other countries. 

And as much as I would like to say that I do not practise stereotyping, I am sorry to say that I do. Though its not in the same way as most people, I do find myself judging people and creating impressions about them in my mind. Like I'll think that dude on the bus with shifty eyes is a creep. It's inevitable. But I never like to voice them out. Not unless they are proved right anyways.

Ultimate point- don't judge people on the basis of their looks alone. Thin women aren't always bitches and fat guys aren't always nice.

And to all you people not happy with your looks- give yourself a hug, your physical and mental being needs it. It' s the only body you've got and it works hard 24/7 just to keep you living. And to all the crap that people may say, your reaction should be:

EXACTLY LIKE THIS

-Rant over-