Priya’s Shakti and Warrior Girls
Part One
I think what is groundbreaking is that people are listening. For how many years were children told to be seen and not heard. People are listening to minors and taking them seriously. Two young girls, X and Naomi, are speaking at The March For Our Lives rally. X Gonzalez is a victim of gun violence. It DIRECTLY effects them. To think these are issues that shouldn’t involve young girls is ignorant because it does, whether they wanted it to or not.
I loved reading Priya’s Shakti. I think two of the elements I loved most about the comic book were: 1- That it was a comic book and 2- It was free online. Both of these elements make the story accessible to all. Some people don’t have time to read a 500+ page novel or they can’t afford one. This is a story that needs to be accessible to all, and I am so happy it did just that.
The story itself broke my heart. It is a story that women know all too well. Women have grown up hearing comments about how rape “could have been prevented if they just ____” As if it isn’t the rapists fault. We think it is bad in America, which it is, but I think so often we forget how other countries are equally bad, if not worse.
When the God Shiva discovers how Priya was treated he is angry and eliminates the possibility for men to procreate. People were outraged because the consequence of the rapists actions effected both men and women. Just like gender violence, it does not just directly effect women.
“The problem of gender violence is not a legal problem, but a cultural problem.”
This quote embodies the comic extremely well. When Priya was raped, it society accusing her that it was her fault for being out too late or wearing too loose of clothing. Being our late and dressing a certain way isn’t a legal issue. In fact, it isn’t really an issue at all. It definitely isn’t for men anyways. It’s an “issue” created by society. Just like the expectation put on women. Without equal expectation, there is a separate set of rules for men and women. With a separate set of rules, people feel as if they have to make sure women are following the rules. This leads to gender violence. Gender violence is a cultural problem that was created by society and needs to end with society changing.