Get rid of stereotypes against you

I’m a woman, and I also have a bias against my gender.

There was a time in the school library when I was browsing our collection of fiction books.

And a friend asked me, “Do you read Danielle Steel?”

“Nope, who is he?”

(At that time, I’d only heard, not seen the name. It sounded like a male-sounding name, i.e., Daniel.)

I remember my friend correcting me that the author is a woman.

I quickly added, “But I don’t read books written by women and with women as the main characters.”

Because I knew what to expect and I hate how these books stereotyped women

Their portrayals contradict how I saw women in their daily reality.

So, I contented myself with adventure and crime books, detective stories, and spy novels usually written by male authors.

The male characters in these books became my ideals.

Later on, as my preferences changed, I got to read amazing works written by women and with women as main characters.

And that made me diversify my reading lists, too.

Before, I would have been embarrassed to mention this.

But times have changed and I’ve also changed.

I’ve learned to speak up more and learn from other perspectives, including those of my male friends and colleagues.

Perspectives that shape and continuously challenge my idea of being a woman...

A woman migrant

A woman professional

A woman without further labels

***

I don’t even get these annual events like International Women’s Day.

Because to me, celebrations are meaningless when after that day, the reality is the same and challenges remain.

But I guess it’s another way to start small

Small things like building awareness

Or sharing just a teeny-tiny bit of yourself through a story

Can get rid of stereotypes against you, your gender, your profession, or whatever identity that you associate with

Because building awareness can make a vast difference to a little girl somewhere out there

Whenever she decides to learn more about the world

Even if that means reading a book with a male-sounding name as the author

***

P.S. What book/film/experience changed your perspective on how you view your self?

Comment or privately share with me your recommendations.

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