A digital magazine on sexuality, based in the Global South: We are working towards cultivating safe, inclusive, and self-affirming spaces in which all individuals can express themselves without fear, judgement or shame
Being vulnerable helps boost our self-esteem and self-worth by pushing us out of our comfort-zone. It provides us with an opportunity to overcome obstacles and reach deep down within ourselves to find strength and confidence to keep going even when the odds are against us.
The largest contingent of voiceless, lonely women with limited agency in the subcontinent must be its married women. If they’re fortunate enough to be born and reach adulthood, a woman’s parents and society make sure she becomes an adult brainwashed into self-alienation and self-loathing.
“Be yourself, Sarah. Awkward smiles, empty silences, weird laughter, and all. It’s just a part of being human. Loving someone physically is never not awkward. Even if it’s a monogamous relationship. It’s only the comfort of familiarity that makes you think otherwise.”
To be without intricacies is to be without emotional boundaries, to disregard whoever whenever. Besties save you from your shit. They are your heart, and they transcend any efficiency that the Tinderization Bestie Robot attempts to offer you in its binary fantasy.
When we are in tune with our authentic thoughts and feelings, vulnerability can be a guide-post in traversing through life, allowing us to forge deep and meaningful connections where we can hold space to mess up and get back on our feet again.
We are often told to speak to ourselves as we would to a friend, gently and lovingly. At the heart of friendship is vulnerability – a radical acceptance of oneself and another for who we truly are, the glowing and beautiful, as well as the dark and crooked.
It took me some time to realise how important being vulnerable or, for that matter, being vulnerable during sexual engagement was for me to have great sex and how empowering it is for my sexuality. After much thought, I decided to open up to my partner about my past experiences and other things I never used to openly talk about.
Indian families rarely say “I love you” to each other. Maybe it is an extension of the fact that parents are awkward while displaying any sign of affection to each other around their kids or elders.
इस घटना नें मुझे हिलाकर रख दिया था। मुझे महसूस हुआ कि हमारे समाज में जहां सामान्य से हटकर किसी भी तरह के व्यवहार को मान्य नहीं समझा जाता, वहाँ लोगों को सिर्फ अपने जेंडर और यौनिकता की अभिव्यक्ति करने की भी कितने बड़ी कीमत चुकानी पड़ती है। समाज के इस असहनशीलता से मेरे मन में डर का जो भाव पैदा हुआ, वह मेरे लिए कोई नया नहीं था।
अब मैं बार–बार पीछे मुड़कर देखने और अंजान आदमियों के भय से डरी रहने से भी थक चुकी हूँ। मेरे मन में हमेशा यह डर बना रहता है कि मेरी शारीरिक सीमायों का कोई उल्लंघन न कर दे और साथ ही मैं अब लोगों को अपने से दूर रखते रहने की कोशिश करते हुए भी थक चुकी हूँ।