Punching The South Asian Stereotype

‘So, you’re here to sign up for Muay Thai classes?’

We nodded together with expressions of apprehension yet excitement.

‘… And you’re both from India?’

X  interjected with a bit of a chuckle, ‘Not quite, I’m from Pakistan and my friend here is from India.’

‘Oh. Okay’ said the secretary hesitantly as she peeped over the counter a bit bemused, taking in our clothing. Both of us, for lack of better options, had come in our sport shorts and shirts ready to claim our soon to-be ‘semi athletic’ selves.

She returned her gaze to her screen, typing away at her iMac, and then pulled out ID cards and a form from under the desk. She said it was simply just meant to reflect why and how we had come to start Muay Thai lessons. For the ‘reasons’ section, there was a row of tiny check boxes labeled ‘fitness,’ ‘toning of the body,’ ‘muscle building’ all of which sounded a bit too much for the non-athletically inclined X and I to tick. The secretary once again peered at our sheets and decided to give us some words of advice.

‘That section’s just for why you want to do Muay Thai classes. Honestly you can just tick any of the boxes…you know…like self defense, for example.’

Self Defence? Both X and I burst into hysterical laughter. We couldn’t confide in her that the precise check box we were looking for was: ‘I had to fill my school’s requirement for some sort of physical activity so I aimlessly chose this.’ As two students who were (and are) largely physically inept, we figured that it was best that we stuck together and picked a sport that would be challenging but fun, and thus, landed upon Muay Thai. However, for lack of a better ostensible reason, we tick-marked this box.

During our introductory lesson, our instructor decided that making small talk would be the best way to make us feel more comfortable. So in between all the painful stretches and push ups, he strung us a long line of questions and advice…

Which school do you attend?

How long have you lived in Singapore?

And then finally, this:

‘You know, Muay Thai is very useful for keeping away strange men. You walk on the streets and someone comes up to you then you can just –‘ he said with a full-bodied, limb controlled, powerful kick. I’m not going to lie; it was definitely an impressive move.

Despite the flamboyance of the kick, I wondered how exactly, without looking at our cards, he had managed to jump to this conclusion of us needing to keep away strange men. Had it been two Caucasian teenagers would he not have assumed they were there to get fit and toned? But two south Asians join and it’s suddenly all about self-defense and protection from predatory men?

By vaguely fitting into the perception of hapless, helpless, south Asian girls, we had been stereotyped into girls from our respective countries that were far from our reality. In our life experience, every Indian girl that walks on the street is not a victim of sexual harassment. Neither is every Pakistani girl trying to avoid a teenage arranged marriage to a 30-year-old man.

This does not mean to insinuate that I think such realities don’t exist, because they do. Despite being deemed an ‘oblivious non-resident Indian (NRI),’ I do understand the issues faced by girls back home. But I do object to the general global perception that every Indian or Pakistani girl’s reality is limited to just this one story. Because it is not. India and Pakistan are also the birthplaces of inspirational and strong women like Indira Nooyi, Kalpana Chawla, Hina Khar and Malala Yousafzai.

Malala Yousafzai, 15 de dezembro de 2013. Image credit: Diogenes 013

As we continued classes through the next month, it became increasingly obvious that we were definitely not the usual clientele for these classes. The class was majority male and excessively fit and energetic. In the midst of these people, X and I stood out not only for our flailing limbs (instead of sturdy kicks) but also for our evident lack of fitness. But as a duo, the lessons were definitely enjoyable and increasingly entertaining. So as the weeks progressed we became familiar faces and the instructor’s attitude towards us changed. We became the two girls who they were almost surprised to see at each successive lesson.

After a couple of weeks, we bumped into our instructor from the first lesson. He smiled and said ‘You know, Muay Thai class is great for finding a new boyfriend… any luck yet?’ We both grinned as we walked out. A reset button in his mind had been triggered. We were no longer just the sheltered girls in need of self-defense.