Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Bisha Kanval Ali: Comedian's Facebook post encapsulates what it is to be a woman

“Microaggressions sound small – but when you put them together, they can be staggering," said Ms Ali

Kashmira Gander
Tuesday 20 October 2015 17:51 BST
Comments
Biska Kanval Ali charts the problems women face from childhood to motherhoof
Biska Kanval Ali charts the problems women face from childhood to motherhoof (Monkey Business Images/REX Shutterstock)

A stand-up comedian whose list of the contradictory expectations that women face struck a chord with thousands, has urged people to “do whatever you want.”

Biska Kanval Ali, from Hounslow, London, was exploring how women are expected to behave for a stand-up routine - but was soon sent into a “rage spiral.”

“Microaggressions sound small – but when you put them together, they can be staggering. They can also be nonsensical,” she told The Metro.

Shared on Facebook, her post entitled "Some stuff people say to other humans" explores the problems women face from childhood into motherhood.

"You’re so adorable! You’re gonna be a heartbreaker one day. Your daughter’s so well behaved. Aren’t you pretty? If you give me a smile I’ll give you an extra one too. Do you like princesses? Girls aren’t ghostbusters, they’re princesses!" Ms Ali writes on a girls childhood.

“Why don’t you show off some skin? Dress a little nicer, that way you’ll be able to find someone. No one’s gonna notice you dressed like that. Never on a first date. What do you mean you don’t feel ready, this is the third date? Frigid b*tch,” reads the paragraph on a woman’s first steps into romantic and sexual relationships.

Since Ms Ali shared the post in mid-October, it has been shared over 3,000 times, and garnered over 3,300 likes.

Responding to the praise on her Facebook post, Ms Ali told one user that a title for the piece could be “Everything Is Bullsh*t So Do Whatever You Want”.

“This is incredible,” wrote Facebook user Paul Savage.

“Ugh...people are the worst,” wrote another user named Samina Chanda, prompting Ms Ali to positively reply: “But they are also the best!”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in