Being in your hotty forties in modern(sic) India….
·
The freedom to check out young men or men en generale, without being labelled…very kool
·
The freedom to also check out women…… in
appreciation and no envy, no looking for blemishes, scars, imperfections, just
appreciation – totally kool
·
The freedom to say what’s on your mind frankly
and bluntly and guess what, be admired
for it…ultra kool
·
And the freedom to say completely inappropriate
things at inappropriate moments, including comment on your boss’s lady appeal ….super
kool
·
That absolute freedom when drama ends in your
life, and a certain calmness of being happens…and you wonder and marvel at the
drama that the other women indulge in…ice kool
·
The freedom to show genuine affection to people
openly – by hugging or touching without the men thinking that I am flirting or
the women thinking that I am a nympho or bisexual or both…lol kool
·
The freedom to be as antisocial as you want and
crave being by yourself, without you being considered a raving sociopath…uber
kool
·
The freedom to down a few mojitos, dance in
abandonment , and laugh , throwing your head back and full throatedly, without
being thought an exhibitionist or god forbid, a siren…haat kool
·
The freedom to experiment with hair colours, a
purple streak perhaps, edgy clothes, and dress for your own personal pleasure…saucy
kool
·
The freedom to be selfish and do things that
actualize you and only you, without you being judged….freedom kool
·
The freedom to admire all my love handles and
stretch marks and still wear my saree delectably low – cos – dammit, I have
earned them…..sexy kool
Lest you think that everything is kool, here is a list of unkool…
·
Being called “aunty” by those very same cute
guys that you are checking out….awkward unkool
·
Getting weird looks from those very women, whom
you compliment…they are probably thinking – weirdo, what does she want…?...sic unkool
·
Being given “gentle feedback” and told how you
need to role model – yuck for the younger , impressionable women…
boring unkool
·
Being told that I don’t need to be aggressive or
God forbid “emotional” - when I speak my mind..stereotype unkool
·
Being told mockingly that I am Mother Teresa and
I need to react more…fake unkool
·
Being asked to bar tend and cook, every time I
go to a party or host one at home…..Masterchef unkool
·
Being told to look at “age appropriate”
dressing… WTF does that mean….maybe I need to wear a full length veil or
something….such an ass unkool
·
And this, the crème de la crème -being told that if I need to be taken
seriously and get things done at work, I should not color my grays and I should
wrap myself up in grandma sarees , like an Egyptian mummy…lost it unkool…
Kool and unkool for the hotty forties in urban, modern India
– mixed bag, but WTF, life’s good, because I simply don’t care and that is
totally exhilarating….....
