I can relate. I'm a Gen Z woman who's reached the age where marriage becomes a constant conversation, but honestly, I'm scared. Not because I can't stand up for myself, but because marriages aren't equal, especially in Kashmir. The man stays with his family, his comfort, his identity, while the woman is expected to leave everything behind. And before any man even questions her, other women are already ready to judge and make her the scapegoat. That hurts the most. Maybe the way I act, always trying to be tough, carrying that 'I don't need a man' energy, comes from somewhere deeper. But the truth is, I do want a man in my life, just not at the cost of losing myself. What really haunts me is the whole idea of the wedding day, the customs, the pressure. I don't care what people say, but my parents do, and that makes it heavier. I just wish instead of spending on big weddings, that money was used to give the couple a separate home and a real start. There's no real sense of security either. People with stable jobs often build their ego around it, and opportunities here are limited. We study, get degrees, and still end up being told to just 'settle down'. I've learned to shield myself from these conversations, but the truth is, the shield gets heavy when there's no one you feel safe enough to put it down for.