Diksha and her cousin rocking the lipstick | Photo: Twitter @BijlaniDiksha
Twitter user @BijlaniDiksha recently share a story about her 9-year-old cousin. He was bullied and called names for wearing lipstick — so his family decided to do something about it.
Diksha said he is the most ‘effeminate’ in the house and ‘loves to paint nails, wear lipcolour, learn home science’.
He wore some lipstick and was called ‘chakka’, a derogatory term for trans people.
My cousin, 9, is the most “effeminate” in the house. Let’s call him Little Cuz. Loves to paint nails, wear lipcolour, learn home science! But in this stereotypical alpha male-centric household he’s often the pivot of jokes. Today he applied lipcolour & got called a “chakka” (1/n) pic.twitter.com/mZ2FplPNyP
— Diksha Bijlani (@BijlaniDiksha) June 18, 2018
Diksha further wrote that because Little Cuz lives in a ‘stereotypical alpha male-centric household, he’s often the pivot of jokes’.
He hid away to hide the lipstick from both any cameras and his mom.
‘Somehow it is always the moms that feel most “embarassed” with their masculine, hardy sons trying makeup. Or anything feminine,’ she added.
So he hid behind the curtain & under the bed, shielding his lipcoloured face from the camera & from his mom. Somehow it is always the moms that feel most “embarassed” with their masculine, hardy sons trying makeup. Or anything feminine. (2/n)
— Diksha Bijlani (@BijlaniDiksha) June 18, 2018
So what did the family do?
In order to help encourage Little Cuz and make him feel less alone, Diksha and her siblings all donned lipstick.
She wrote about the decision: ‘In such a house it takes constant work as elder cousins to undo the conditioned gender binary,normalise gender neutral acts which are deemed feminine. So we all wore lip color to make him comfortable & accepted. He felt a specially empowered when he saw my brother wearing it.’
In such a house it takes constant work as elder cousins to undo the conditioned gender binary,normalise gender neutral acts which are deemed feminine. So we all wore lip color to make him comfortable & accepted. He felt a specially empowered when he saw my brother wearing it(3/n) pic.twitter.com/aixXrfMpbw
— Diksha Bijlani (@BijlaniDiksha) June 18, 2018
Then Little Cuz joined them in his own fabulous lipstick.
My brother gave up any toxic masculinity & complied to influence Little Cuz. Little Cuz came out & smiled comfortable in his skin.
So important to realise that we owe the responsibility of giving every younger kid a safe space to embrace his place within the gender spectrum(4/n) pic.twitter.com/d9ffsJbsTa— Diksha Bijlani (@BijlaniDiksha) June 18, 2018
She finished her story with some important thoughts on gender and acceptance.
Update: Today, Little Cuz picked up his sister’s pink bicycle. Uncle ridiculed him for riding on a pink bicycle like a girl (bec that’s how petty my fam is). He retorts & says “Gender real nai hota. Kal mene aur bhaiya dono ne red lipstick lagaya tha didi ke saath. Aap puchlo” 😊
— Diksha Bijlani (@BijlaniDiksha) June 19, 2018
And don’t worry, she translated the Hindi.
“Gender is not real. This morning elder brother & I applied lipstick along with our sister. Ask them if you dont believe”
— Diksha Bijlani (@BijlaniDiksha) June 20, 2018
How did the internet react?
Most people embraced the story and Little Cuz, calling him courageous and hoping stories like this change attitudes.
this thread is important! india needs to bid a goodbye to the stereotypes and put an end to the stigma! stop shaming on the basis on your own shallow thoughts regarding one’s gender roles, accept the change! respect everyone’s choices, it’s THEIR life! live and let live, pls! 🙏 https://t.co/8DusndK2Fv
— unicorn. (@_subtleturtle_) June 19, 2018
Tell him he looks super cute and I just love the lip colour. Wish i could carry it off as well as he did.
And a big hug for him. Tell him he is the most courageous kid I have seen. It takes courage to be different and do what you want. He is doing it— Priyashmita Guha (@priyashmita) June 18, 2018
The world needs more sisters like you. Thank you for this. Hugs, if I may.
— Vivek Tejuja (@vivekisms) June 19, 2018
Others shared their own ways of supporting Little Cuz.
Here’s a little something in his support. pic.twitter.com/YHGh6ceTEX
— वरुण (@varungrover) June 19, 2018
please show him this picture and/or my insta page. it wouldve changed my life as a child to have seen another brown boy expressing himself. this story made me super happy 💕 pic.twitter.com/Z04vFfKTFA
— joel (@joellouzado) June 20, 2018
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