Story by Mould and Dented
Brief background: Mould & Dented is a woman/girl/child, Melayu, Muslim, who grew up as “budak PJ” in the era of the New Romantics. Has a bad habit of living in the past, when the present (and her children) should really be the focus of her time and attention. Generally, has no regret of what she has done but a lot of what she did not do. She is still paying for that now. Although she works in the field of women’s rights, she still lacks the courage to let her voice roar and be heard.
This story is from Mould & Dented’s experience and her witness to someone else’s. She wants to share this because they are not shared enough. She says, “growing up, we only speak of what ideally, love and relationships should be like. We rarely give validity to our own feelings and experiences because we always think that it should be different, more than what we experience in reality. We are influenced by past experiences of other family members and friends, the books we read, the movies we watch, current trends, the media, etc. Giving validity to our feelings and experiences is the process of empowering ourselves. If this opportunity is not given and developed, it will take a long time to learn to listen and trust our instincts, our own inner voice, to defend and stand up for ourselves when it is crucial to do so”.
Categories: Stories