Mera Jism Meri Marzi - My Body My Choice is an original slogan.
It is my slogan, and by ''my'' I mean I was the first person to pen it down and carry it into the first Lahore Aurat March of 2018. It was my picture that went viral, and it was me who took all of the backlash and controversy it sparked.
I chose to write it exactly because of the connotation that the word "jism" (body) carries. It was meant to be bold and brash, short and catchy. Like any good slogan should be. It was meant to question.
I chose to write it exactly because of the connotation that the word "jism" (body) carries. It was meant to be bold and brash, short and catchy. Like any good slogan should be. It was meant to question.
Question why men can have their own marzi, but us women need to be constantly told that we cannot. We cannot choose for ourselves, our choices must be made for us. This slogan is about martial rape. It is about basic consent. It is about body shaming and harassment and the right to make informed choices for ourselves. It is about basic choice. It is about freedom from the patriarchy that constantly holds women down and stops them from doing something as simple as holding a job or visiting their parents after marriage. It is about challenging gender roles, and choosing for our self the roles we would like in this society.
It is time to stop derailing these valid conversations with ''roaming naked on the streets / having sex on the streets / other lewd assumptions'' in regards to this phrase.
It is time to stop derailing these valid conversations with ''roaming naked on the streets / having sex on the streets / other lewd assumptions'' in regards to this phrase.
Women's bodies and choices belong to them - and it is about time that we stand up and say so.
xx
Sadia Gilani,
Sadia Gilani,
Creative Head
Prisms and Paintbrushes
-Original, hand drawn illustrations.
-Hand typography.
-Size: Square, approximately 2.5 inches.
-Hand cut, intended to be a square. Because of the handmade nature of the item, it may not be an ''exact perfect'' square.