Strength TogetHER 10- Session 8

April 30 2021

Strength togetHER is a safe virtual space where girls from different backgrounds come together and share their stories. We believe in rising ourselves by lifting up others. We walk with the motto of “girls supporting girl”. 

On 30th of April 2021, we talked about ‘Stereotyping’ in general and how has it been prevalent in our society under various topics, majorly focusing on women’s issues. Our topic for the session was, “Stereotypes”. 

The session was conducted by one of our members Grishma Paudyal. She’s currently studying Bachelors in Development Studies and is interested in bringing positive changes in the society and loves to create an environment where people exhibits their best qualities. She believes in working together and being open to learning. 

We talked about how we, as girls have been restricted from so many opportunities just because of our gender and we are often told that it’s not safe out there but what have every other person contributed in creating a safe space for us.

We talked about stereotyping prevalent in our communities regarding menstruation, pregnancies before and after marriage, widowed and re marrying. We, as a society have seen that widowed are not allowed to wear reds and discarded from re marrying but a widower is liberated to do anything per se his desire afterwards.

The upbringing of a boy child and girl child is in itself is a huge highlight of stereotyping. While male child are given heavy vehicles, equipment and guns to play with, female child are given pink Barbie dolls often considered as fragile and vulnerable. The stereotypes that only boys can lift and girls should do light works in itself gives a wrong message to children. Our upbringing has made us believe some of those stereotypes and apply it so hardly that we really think twice before doing anything. But this process of learning and unlearning has helped the newer generations distinguish the right and wrong.

The process is going on and change cannot be gained overnight but hopefully, we are leaning towards the better future. 

This session was a great opportunity to learn and unlearn various things for all of us and most importantly a talk that came out loud and proud. 

This blog is written by Samikshya Aryal, an undergraduate student of Bachelors in Development Studies who identifies as a feminist. She has developed a keen interest in literature and is an aspiring poet. Besides an avid reader and enthusiastic learner, she wants to travel as much. 

-Samikshya Aryal, Cohort Coordinator (LOKOPAKAR)