But while his first marriage didn’t last, his fantasy of the elite did. He’d demand that my mother wear make-up, put rollers in her hair, and only wear a mid-length skirt, never trousers. If he was with his friends he’d call her into the room and ask her questions about art before sending her off to make chai. He wanted his peers to envy him for his wonderful, modern wife. But should one of them show it, he’d fly into a jealous rage, banning her from anything but a salwar kameez, and telling her whose name was on the lease. He liked to remind her that she was dependent on him in every way.
Men should not control women, they are their own person. They are not objects, nor should they be treated like one; look pretty on display, don’t speak out of line, listen only to men.
