Your shorts are too short, 
Your heels are too high, 
You can’t wear your hair like that, my dear
And please, do cover your thigh. 

You can’t hang out with boys, 
You can’t stay out past eight, 
You know we’re right honey, 
And until you’re twenty-five, you’re forbidden to date. 

Your thighs are too thick, 
Your shoulders are too wide, 
We’re so happy you’ve been gymming recently 
We’re actually hardcore judging inside. 

Look how tanned you’ve become, 
Here, try out this whitening cream, 
Don’t play in the sun for too long, 
Otherwise, getting married will be a dream. 
We heard you got an eighty-nine percent, 
We wonder where the one percent is gone, 
We heard you have a friend who is a guy, 
You’re a disgrace, and we’re not wrong. 

And look at the auntie’s daughter, 
Look at her grades this year, 
Ninety-five percent I tell you, 
Why can’t you be like her, my dear? 

This is our society, 
This is what we go through, 
The constant comparing, the crazy restrictions, 
All of this is so very true. 

When will we ever evolve? 
When will we learn to accept differences? 
It’s the twenty first century already, 
And yet our society still has preferences. 

Priyata is currently studying at NIST International School.

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