Let V-talk
For reasons that have never been entirely clear, the majority of power, wealth and social resources in the world seem to accrue to human born with penises. The unlucky penisless class had been left to either scramble over the remaining crumbs or cosy up to the penis-bearers hoping for favourable treatment.
As a self confessed individual, belonging to the penisless class have chosen to relate my anguish by letting my vagina speak. If my vagina could talk, what would she tell the world? my vagina says, “I’m alone in here, never been examined and checked if an infection is already sprouting. My master, yes my master (allow me to call her my Master, for once let me rule my language eventhough such word is only referred to men) could not look at me because her society tells her not to. It is uncouth of her if she would do such thing.
She can’t even say my name, unless there is some academic or intellectual discussion on call, because in her society, if you’re going to utter such word in a regular conversation, my name, you probably would be branded as ill-mannered, immoral. Just try shouting it (especially, my name in local dialect), and the people around you will look at you as if you are a leper.
As if I am not a part of her body, but I am just like any part of her body, like her nose, her hands, just that I am hidden. And her society continuously keeps me from being explored.
Her society mystifies me by using metaphors to call me flower, yours, hers, “hiyas,” forest, cave, cunt, vee and so many callnames. Do you think I am happy with that? I have so many identities that sometimes I no longer recognize myself.
But I also want to matter! How can I? If my master doesn’t even know about me, how?
I know she cares about me; she is just so shy to deal with me. How would her society react about it? What would the church say about it? That she has been a sinner? They don’t even support about contraceptives that at least would keep me from being harm by STDs, and pregnancy that puts my master’s life at risk.
Don’t they know that women are more prone to be infected with HIV, especially the young because our anatomical structure make us much more vulnerable since body fluids are retained inside us, rough sex tears skin tissue that heightens the probability of being infected? What would one expect from a society where women are disempowered to negotiate for sex, that they cannot even ask their partners to use condom?
I know I am complicated, just like how my external make up is that my master is not even aware of.
Sometimes people say that my master is a nagger because she has 2 mouths. How dare they say such thing? Do these people know how voiceless I am, and my master even? Her voice doesn’t even matter to an ordinary individual, because she is just a woman – just a woman.
As a matter of fact words do not belong to women. Just take a peek at any literature; from the time people were sent to school they have been taught that the word “men” meant everybody.
How can it mean everybody when women cannot even see themselves there? To speak for women is a test of silence.
There is an enormous ignorance about women’s realities in our society; women suffer from a frightening lack of clarity about who they really are. If ever there can be a collective recognition of certain realities that are female, it can still be hampered, diverted, and diluted by a masculine presence.
Do these people know the root why a handful member of her species nags? With all the load of work assigned to her at home that limits her social network – thus preventing her to learn new things, to be acquainted with issues boggling the world – what do you think a woman will do if she doesn’t have time for herself?
Of course she nags for a cause, maybe her husband treats her as a nobody, or just keep on doing things that irritates her like leaving the comfort room messy, squeezing the toothpaste in the middle, maybe her children are neglecting their studies, leaving their room messy, leaving the dining table unclean, etc.
With the repetitive work she does everyday, do you expect her to just smile and thank you all because you have given her those loads of work at home? What more is the mother who has career, still the obligation to manage the home is assigned to her. She experiences multiple burden because of the double standard society we have.
Now tell me, how can she attend to her own needs? Her everyday struggle with male species is really something to be fought. Have you all experience being whistled at even if you are wearing a decent outfit? Do men experience being stared at as if they’re going to swallow you whole?
And when she rode public utility vehicles, they would push you to the limits of the seat because they wanted to sit-squat as if they are the only ones paying fare. Do you know how difficult it is to be squeezed inside because you can’t sit-squat because you’re a woman?
What about my master’s portrayal on TV, magazines, tabloids, billboards? As always they are depicted as sex objects. One would see always a woman in bikini suits in commercials of liquors, cigars, even an appliance, shampoo, soaps, or any product. There will always be an element of beauty, a sexy body to be gawked at, by men of course.
The mainstream gobbles everything compelling to its maw and sells it back to the consumer reshaped, neatly packaged and demanding that one should buy, buy and buy.
Of course, the consumers continuously patronize this propaganda – which in turn reinforces the sad realities faced by women.
That they are mere objects who should always look beautiful for the eyes of men; that they are just properties of men; and in later part of their lives they will eventually subdue to the demands of men who will eventually own them.
But my master is not a mere property; she is a human being who has every right to be respected in whatever choice she makes for herself. Her opinion matters especially on things that truly concern her body.
What’s wrong with women looking at their genitalia and check it up for irregularities, or discovering what particularly would make her happy?
What’s wrong with choosing a life apart from the norm dictated by the society – if this truly makes her happy?
What’s wrong with saying what she really feels? Isn’t it that every person has the right to express what is inside him or her? What more can I say?”
Surprisingly, given the obvious inequities in penis distribution among the population, to date there has been no large-scale armed struggle to overthrow the penis bearing class.
Incidents of spontaneous violence aside (the occasional castration or murder), reformism rather than revolution has been the primary mode of confronting this historic injustice.
Social reforms and education have indeed made certain inroads toward improving the lot of non-penised, but having or not having one remains a primary predictor of social pre-requisites, life experiences – even some say psychology and character.
Truly my vagina has issues that coincide with realities that only a woman experiences. Why not, it’s a woman’s identity. My vagina is an epitome of myself.
