I am not a Goddess, can I swear at you now??

You know what bugs me? I mean really, REALLY bugs me, the thing that makes me feel like throwing something, or shattering a plate or spitting out in dramatic Hindi movie style? It is some men with their narrow-minded attitude to women who praise women to the heavens- but only if they fit their own (i.e. the men’s) stereotypical idea of a perfect woman else they just label the women as the “bad type”. They also equate women to the “sweetest” of things to justify the reason why women should never aspire for anything more than being a servant of man.
I guess I would have muddled a few of you up with my words, I don’t think the above heated words make any sense without a few examples of what these “typical” characters, the self-proclaimed woman-worshippers, would say:
1.“Women are like Goddesses. Indian culture praises women for the sacrifices they make. They are patience personified and this is why we worship them. A real woman sacrifices everything for the sake of her husband and family.”
Well, lovely you say, what wrong with that? This is what all these praises translate to:
A true woman should make sacrifices. Only woman should sacrifices, it is not expected of man. The woman is a Goddess, the man is just man so he can have failing but not the woman. But even though he is he is not a God, the woman should treat him like one because this is exactly what makes her great. She is the patient one, not the man so he can lose his temper, even beat her but the woman is the all-forgiving patient one, so she should put up with everything. Because a true virtue of women lies in showing how much she can tolerate.
2. “Women are like flowers. They are delicate and sweet and spread their fragrance everywhere”
Translation: Women are delicate. They are like flowers and hence they should be protected like flowers. They should not be exposed to the dirty world out there. They can be crushed easily, they do not realize how fragile they are and hence they should always lead a sheltered life. They are fragrant like flowers and when exposed to the harsh world they will lose that fragrance. A man can of course be exposed to such a world, but a delicate woman? No way!
3. “A woman is equal to a man in all ways. While man is action-oriented, woman is emotion-oriented. Man is rough, the breadwinner, while the gentle women are the nurturers.”
Translation: Women are emotional wrecks who should not be allowed to take decisions. Women must nurture! They should not aspire to be breadwinners and even if they do, they should not forget their role as nurturers. Men should NOT be nurturers, that job is best left to man.
4. “Women are really kind creatures who love to pamper their man”
Translation: I am a man and I am here to be pampered. It is a woman’s duty to pamper me. She should not expect any pampering because she is not a man and she is supposed to be the sacrificing type…
5. “Women are like angels in the house, gentle and soft-spoken”
Translation: Women should always keep mum. They should not speak up, they should not raise their voice, they, like the saying goes, are to be seen not heard.
6. “Nobody knows the baby better than a mother. A mother can understand it and she is the best person to take care of the baby”
Translation: I refuse to understand babies as I am a man and I can get away with it. Mother is the only person who should take care of the babies. Fathers can pet and play but when the baby needs to be cleaned and fed, mothers should step in.
7. “Nobody can be as systematic and careful as a women. I am just too clumsy and helpless without a woman”
Translation: I am lazy and I refuse to work. You are the woman and if I praise you, you will do the work. As a woman you cannot be clumsy as clumsiness, while endearing in a man, is a terrible flaw in a woman.

Those are just a few….this and MANY such praises I am happy without. These things always make me want to say, “I don’t want to be a goddess, or a flower, or an angel, or a forced nurturer. Could I just be me, please?” But I guess that would make me a bitch…
Got any such “sugar-coated” statements that irk you? Do let me know…