Growing up, I was made to feel like my body was not good enough. Not beautiful enough. Not healthy enough. Not loveable enough. Whether it was through unrealistic beauty standards, constant nagging of needing to cover up my own body because it serves as a “distraction”, or through daily comparison of my body with other people’s. I felt as though I needed to constantly be self-critical of my body, in order to be better and healthier. However, this did the complete opposite. When I looked in the mirror, I felt angry and disappointed with myself because I did not look a certain way. I realize that I was so focused on my outer beauty, that I never showed what I had to offer from the inside.

Talking about one’s mental health rarely ever happens in Asian culture. It’s an unspoken rule that we do not talk about any mental health issues or struggles we encounter. That it is something invisible or a weakness; if we do not talk about it, we can pretend it does not exist.

Women are tired of expectations and responsibilities that society has imposed on them.

Emotional labor can be defined as the action of managing one’s emotions, thoughts, and outward expressions, in order to conform to the responsibilities and expectations of that individual’s position or job. Women have a number of expected positions that they hold and must fulfill because of the patriarchal structures that imposed that on them; mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, healer, teacher, worker, and more. Though emotional labor comes with every job, every position, and every relationship, women face a heavier burden of emotional labor because of the exhaustive list of commitments that they hold.