@confidentlyuna: Life lessons. He can look like your best friend, your favourite aunty, even your own mother. The programming is systemic, but the messengers are almost always personal. Some of our first experiences of self-hate and centring men came through the women who loved us. They taught us to “keep” our bodies, shape our choices and design our lives to be appealing to men. For some of us, even in the religion we grew up with God felt like a patriarchal man. But that’s a conversation for another day. That’s the genius of patriarchy. The final boss doesn’t just convince women to police each other, it recruits you to police yourself while simultaneously suffering under the regime. How many times have you been teased by your aunties and mother about finding a husband as they slave away preparing meals for their present absent husbands? Or been encouraged by your mum to get the best degree so that you can eventually never use it? Degrees are a passport to marriage and motherhood, not purpose and freedom. The message is clear: you rise… to sacrifice. Why do you need anyone standing over you telling you that your body is wrong when you trained to do it yourself? Is it your inner voice or HIS? Decentre him. Even if he sounds like you. Sometimes “becoming her” is destroying him. Centring ourselves in this climate means asking and answering complex questions. What happens when women reject the patriarchal script but still want marriage, motherhood or beauty? How do we distinguish desire from conditioning? What happens when the advice to “keep your body” is partly about cultural survival, not just male approval? 💭🫀Let’s talk about it… 💡@Your Favourite Cousin #lifelesson #lifelessons Life lessons Life lesson Life lessons that hit hard Life lessons that changed me

Your Favourite Cousin

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Tuesday 18 August 2026 20:18:50 GMT