Swathi Reddy Instagram – The non stop women’s day wishes and forwards gave us feels didn’t it? and as much as life sucks if I had to compartmentalise the sucky part of it into gender equations, I’d not be wrong to say we are more beaten down and manipulated mentally, taken for a ride and used emotionally by fellow women compared to men. With men we women are instinctively carefully ( not that we are safe or get out unharmed ) but with women, we let our guard down. We genuinely want to bond. And they turn around to be.. human. Let’s be real, getting over a heartbreak over a boy is way easier than trying to understand why a bestie chopped your ankles off. Women’s day has become like Valentines day in the early 2000s. Discounts and sales ( even food ordering apps! ) Emotional social media proclamations, gift vouchers and P R building machines. Yes, it’s all fair, you have to be smart I know but.. ouch. Before the hyper ventilating social media activists attack their keyboards, and give me statistics of the world,I’m referring to the gentle dynamics of sisterhood among the circle. The aunty jis who compare you to their daughters, the online trolls who bash you by moral policing, ( for every guy who trolls me there are two woman who do ) the family friend you have amazing memories with who is always judging the clothes you wear, or a dear girl friend you cared about putting you down for not being ambitious enough in a way familiar to her during deep vulnerable conversations, the colleague who smiles brilliantly waving good morning but throws shade at you for being single, the cousin sister you meet once in a blue moon randomly asking you whom did you vacation with ? You know? Subtle. We love these women, or we are used to loving them, we want to but.. ouch. People are just people. Everyone wants a bite. When it comes down to survival justified by human fallibility, you’ll be missed in a blink. Period. I know I know, self love. And everything is temporary. So is all the celebration of today. So let’s not let marketing and the online world fool us. And am not even being cynical. Stoic maybe. Bitter? No. Do I have the answers? No. Do I have a point? Hell yeah. Art work by @priyachamarty