• -An emphatic rant I wrote a year ago when I was told at a Model UN, ‘You’re not pretty, you’re just loud, so I doubt you’ll win’. This comes back in memory of Qandeel Baloch (a Pakistani model and Social Media Celebrity who was brutally killed in the name of honor by her brother) who might not be your idol, who might not be your hero, hell who might not even be a ‘suitable’ person in your eyes. But she was what she wanted to be, despite all odds, and that is all that matters.

Ladies and Gentlemen. Let me tell you how important it is to be independent and self-reliant in a society where you'll be criticized and undermined just because you belong to the 'weaker', 'overly sentimental' and 'mercurial' gender. Where you'll be categorized by your mere looks and figure. You’re not petite or skinny? You have curly hair?! You haven’t waxed?!? How dare you defy societal norms? You shall be ridiculed for having a personal preference and ostracized for not trying to look appealing.

A society where you'll most probably be ‘popular’ if you laugh at sexist jokes, mock girls who interact with boys, act dumb to impress the opposite gender and demean those who do what you wish you could do.

A society in which chubby, extrovert and independent girls won't be tolerated. It is a crime to voice our concerns and our personal preferences, right? Look how short her hair is, I wonder why she's trying so hard to be a boy. She's always hanging out with boys, what a whore. Have you noticed that she always wears black? Must be a goth or something.

We live in a society where you'll either be considered a whore if you're confident or boring if you're an introvert. A society that'll force you to keep your emotions caged and your problems hidden as they might be considered too 'taboo'. That's why I call myself a feminist. A feminist doesn't advocate female superiority but demands equality and a world free of gender stereotypes. A world where girls will be allowed to do whatever they want to do without our society striving to degrade or condescend them.

I'm loud. I'm confident. Maybe over-confident. I might not be your idea of perfect but I'm content with whoever I am. I have friends belonging to the opposite gender. I love to eat and I'm not petite. I'm rowdy. I'm rough. I'm me and I'm proud of that.

Always be proud of yourself.