Curry Munching with the French Boy

BONUS CHAPTER 31

Hello there! It's been almost 6 (5?) years since I started writing this story and wow when I look back at this stuff my views on the whole narrative has changed drastically. By the time I had posted parts of the sequel my worldview had already shifted a bit and I'm simply going to repost what I posted there on here, because I truly believe it's an important message for young (and all) girls. These are 15 year old me's views, and although in their developmental stages I think it still does capture the essence of what 19 year old me would like to say about this story as well.

I have most of this sequel written already, but I'm choosing not to publish it. In fact, when I read CMWTFB I almost wish I had never conceived such a pathetic idea. You see, for a long time I believed that I was inadequate. That I was weak, and small, and utterly helpless. And whether I liked to admit it or not, I believed that was the role of a woman. That it was a man's job to be strong and to protect. Consequently, these ideals have seeped into my writing.

Maliha is a helpless, spineless, insecure bitch who needs a misogynistic pig like Devin to tell her she's beautiful. She needs sex to feel wanted. She needs Devin's shallow, fickle love to feel special. And you know what? She's not the only female protagonist that is so fucking pathetic! Just take a look at this website! Look at all the romance stories, all the teen stories, all the chick lit stories. We are constantly being bombarded with this message that a weak, innocent, helpless little girl is attractive. But why? Why these specific traits?

Because it makes men feel like men.

And for some odd reason, we still live in a patriarchal society.

But enough about me attacking society. Fuck society.

What matters is what you think of yourself.

I want you all to know that you can do anything a man can, and you can do it better.

You don't need a boy to tell you that you're beautiful to know that you are beautiful. You don't need to dumb yourself down for a guy and you certainly should never be the submissive, subservient woman because it's what some stupid dude wants. (This does not mean do not accept compliments from males. Accept compliments happily! But know that your self-worth does not come from someone else's words, but rather, your own words.)

Maliha's life gets fucked up because she allows it to become that way. She allows a man to dictate her actions. And if there is one thing I want to get through to you is that, never let ANYONE, male or female or other, dictate your actions. Be independent, be strong and be yourself.

And that can be tough sometimes, especially in a world like ours where people who don't conform to social norms are seen as "weird" or "awkward". But you know what, they have nothing. All those people floating around out there trying to be something they're not, have nothing. They are nothing. Because there is no substance to a person like that, a person who can only be a reflection of what everyone else is.

When you dare to be unique, you dare to have something, be something. Then you are no longer a reflection or a photocopy or a clone. Then you are something original, something wonderful.

And I can go into a long rant about how we should all be unique, and how women should learn to be more independent, but I know that I cannot convince all of you. Some of you will still be insecure, still depend on others to feel, and that's okay. Because that is life and we need to learn from those moments. One day, just like I did, you'll get fed up of it all. You'll grow tired of conforming to someone else's standards, and you'll realise that there is a power within yourself and within all of us, if we would just accept it and let it out.

So that's all from me. If you were curious at all, in the sequel I tried to reflect these ideals in my writing. Maliha loses the baby, finds out Devin is a lying, cheating bastard, and she grows a backbone. She becomes a hardhitting feminist, but a bit too hard to the point where she despises the male species (this is called negative feminism, and should not be confused with feminism which stands for equality). She works in France for a newspaper, meets a brilliant man by the name of Xander in Amsterdam who understands the need for an egalitarian society and therefore helps her to understand love and not hate. She finds that the purest form of love, is that of universal love and not individualistic love which cripples and blinds. The rest, well...that is up to you.

This is my goodbye, to this site where women are confined into the roles of submissive, naive, objects whose purpose is only to serve their male counterparts in order to feel some sense of self worth.

I believe that men and women should be equal, that we shouldn't have any preconceived ideas of how a guy "should" behave or how a girl "should" act. If we are all truly equal then we should all be free to act in our own ways.

These are my ideas and beliefs and I hope that you will respect them, as I will respect any opinions you may have on these topics.

I apologise once more but I've realised, this just isn't for me. Maybe I'm meant to be a writer, and maybe one day I'll be a great writer, but certainly not in the field of pathetic romance novels.

Remember, be strong. You are all beautiful and magnificent in your own ways.