Janani Balaji

what makes a woman?

is it her pink dress or sparkly purse?

her six-inch shoes, her glossy lipstick?

her high-pitched voice and plump lips?

is it her cooking skills or demure behavior?

her petite voice, her perfect figure?

her children who look ‘just like her’?

but a woman can wear trousers

carry a briefcase, rock a baritone

but a woman can burn water

speak loudly, not give birth

and a man can wear lipstick, sing soprano

cry till his eyes run out of tears

and a man can cook dinner, wear six-inch shoes

stay and home and show his kids how to draw

what makes you smile

what makes you dance

what mountains you scale

what clothes you wear

what shoes you choose

what words you speak

what joy you bring

it doesn’t matter what gender you are

it’s not about ’empowering women’

it’s about empowering society

so society changes

so we are free

so we are equal

so we are one

Janani Balaji is a 14-year-old student studying in The Bombay International School. She is passionate about writing, art and coding and uses her capabilities in those fields to speak up for what she believes in. She hopes to use her writing as a way to provide more informed perspectives on!evolving situations.