Reader’s Reviews > The Obedient Bow > Status Update

“A woman is confined by the boxes this culture has bestowed upon her. We must be a respectful daughter, a nurturing sister, an attentive daughter-in-law, a dutiful wife, and a loving mother. We cannot be too tall or too short. Nor too skinny or too fat. We cannot be too fair or too dark. A woman must be tolerant. A woman must be subservient. A woman must be perfect in order to survive this culture.”

Around the table were four women who hoped concealing their heartbreaks would erase them. We hid behind our forced smiles and the armour we thought our wedding rings would provide. We hoped that if we spoke of love and happiness, it would be the same as having it. But words that aren’t heard are the same as silence. And the silence that enveloped the table spoke louder than any words we could muster.

But the mark of shame never abandons a woman. It hangs over her like a dark cloud, warning everyone that something unwanted is coming.


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