Sex & Culture
I'm watching this show on Netflix called Heeramandi. Recommended to me by a good friend. It’s about Courtesans of the 1930’s in Lahore, Pakistan. It’s a type of Bollywood musical, and I’ve been told that around 90% of Hindi stuff has song and dance.
Heeramandi is about the lifestyles of the Courtesan women. It’s lavish backdrop is in a beautiful Palace called Shahi Mahal and Khwabgah which roughly translates to ‘dreamplace’. The women there gather and perform duties of daily life as prostitutes receiving gifts of adornment like diamonds, gold and expensive clothing, Trading time (not just sex as they don’t show scenes of this in the show) for luxuries.
What is so eye opening about this movie is the lavish lifestyle and privileges of these women. I’ve never seen women and girls have so much luxury. I come from a secular, liberal society in Canada where girls are allowed to get an education, vote, own or inherit wealth and generally make their own choice about religion. But I have a concern about how little free women are getting today in monetary value. This morning I looked up the London School of Economics and typical starting salaries of economists. A typical economist only makes 100k per year. With housing prices, food prices and car payments so high, it’s looking more and more like poverty for free women. Are we in a compromising position or what, Justin Trudeau?
Which brings me the question of sex and culture today; what are we teaching girls in Canada and around the world, inadvertently and plainly for all to see? Every man I’ve spoken to about this topic, says that Health Class prepares the students for ‘life’. I’m not sure if it’s just me that thinks this, but it might not be a good idea to reduce these students to solely their reproductive organs? Health class isn;t discussing consent, or boundaries. It’s not a caution to young people who don’t know the world yet. There is so much more to life than sharing your body. But we also don’t see it as valuable as in other cultures. In Canada virginity is frowned upon and that’s how they get you. We are not trading virginity for not a better life experience.. but bad self esteem issues and a mental health crisis. Which is has become an incredible expense on healthcare.
Historically, the Courtesan is one step up from slavery and to look at their lifestyles and wealth of these women have is a painful feat for a modern human being. In Canada, while most women are considered free persons, we claim this spirit without even asking the questions of frailty for the women who have gone through degradation for being beautiful. Canada, is a free country with lots of perks, but we know now that men don’t like ‘sluts’. If anyone’s confused, about how to make a baby, we are too when we are battling a culture of men who don’t value us sexually. Everyone else, all Harrison Bukters on board.
I’ve not been to Pride, but I hear stories that it’s mostly straight people who claim allyship of the LGBT community. It’s common knowledge that it’s basically a parade where they throw condoms around and watch men in speedos dance.
In other news, Mia Khalifa “begs women not to go into porn as videos will haunt her for life”. That’s a good sisterhood. Women caring about each other and their professional prospects for life. She feels that she’s made a mistake and shares with other women.
I would highly recommend that girls watch this show to see the value in sharing your body with men. I’m not promoting prostitution or promiscuity, just a dash of self respect, personal value and a bit of common decency. Should free women be chaste to set an example for the future of our girls? Is it a safety precaution for our mental health? Is sexual ‘freedom’ overrated? Because that went well.
