‘Fighting crime
Trying to save the world
Here they come just in time
The Powerpuff Girls’
A show that I grew up watching, one that unknowingly acted as the foundation of female friendships, sisterhood, and feminism in my life— The Powerpuff Girls. Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup were my favourite sisters, especially because having grown up with a stuck up elder brother, I liked to find sisterhood everywhere.
As a 6 year old, I absolutely loved Bubbles and Blossom. They were bubbly, energetic, assertive and obedient. I never fancied Buttercup. She seemed rude and defiant. Apathetic, defiant, firm— all that girls weren’t supposed to be; Buttercup was. In retrospect, I understand that this dislike towards Buttercup was the internal misogyny that was ingrained in me from a very young age. Buttercup almost always had, what we call, a resting bitch face. And as I’ve grown up, I have only garnered more respect for her.
Unlearning what you’ve learnt is a very important part of growing and evolving. From being a fat-shaming, apolitical individual and calling myself an equalist, to being a very proud feminist, today, it’s safe to say that I am growing and evolving and unlearning. Female friendships have played the most important part in shaping me and making me who I am today. Female friendships look like having one another’s back, asking for a sanitary napkin, exchanging notes on what our parents said when we both reached home past curfew. Female friendships also look like talking about feminism, mental health, and avoiding boy drama at all costs.
Sisterhood has never had a biological meaning in my dictionary. It was always listening to my friends whine about their sisters stealing their clothes, mannerisms and books. Feminism is a very important part of who I am. It was formed through sisterhood and female friendships— that’s how all 3 of them are interwoven into my life.
Neha is a lactose intolerant lover of mint chocolate chip ice cream. She studies Sociology at Lady Shri Ram College. You can find her surfing through reddit and tumblr reading sappy and wild stories. She’s a strong advocator for social causes that are close to her heart and isn’t afraid to speak up about what she believes in!
Headcanon Magazine 