Former schoolmates Ayesha Omer and Mira Sethi are winning hearts with their latest appearance on the latter’s show Hello! Mira Sethi, where they talk about what being a ‘bold woman’ means in Pakistani society.
“For me, the word bold means self-sufficient,” said host Sethi, as she asked the Yalghaar actor what she believes is the reason behind its negative underpinnings in Pakistani society.
Ayesha Omer explains that living in Pakistani society which is ‘patriarchal’ or male-dominated, women are expected to stay ‘suppressed’, and stay away from displaying qualities like ‘confidence’ and ‘self-assurance’. She added that typical Pakistani mindset and media at large, prefers women to be ‘subdued’ and stay ‘under’, and not be too ‘outspoken’, ‘brave’ or vocal about what she thinks, which is all of what the word ‘bold’ ultimately implies.
On a side note, the two added that Mira is Ayesha’s younger sister’s bestfriends and the two used to go to school on the same car. Who would have thought the two would grow up to influence millions of Pakistanis one day…
Further Ayesha talked about shifting from Karachi to Lahore as a child, the death of her father and being raised by a single mother. She added that her mother, having been a teacher was the breadwinner for their family, and singlehandedly managed all domestic chores alongside it, refusing to keep domestic help to this day.
At the end, the two mutually agreed that they would rather be bold, than be scared, and that is what we also wish for all of our female readers out there!
