Top tweets: 10 reasons why we wish our aunties were like Aunty Pakistan

Published September 2, 2015
Aunty Pakistan is the latest Twitter sensation for all the right reasons — Illustrations courtesy Shahan Zaidi/Wikimedia Commons
Aunty Pakistan is the latest Twitter sensation for all the right reasons — Illustrations courtesy Shahan Zaidi/Wikimedia Commons

Aunty Pakistan, the latest Twitter sensation in Pakistan, is a superhero in no need of a cape.

Her current display picture borrows from Shahan Zaidi the character of his in-production graphic novel, Bloody Nasreen. If gutsy, gun-toting Nasreen will challenge sexist stereotypes of Pakistani women by waging war against all kinds of bad guys, Aunty may as well be her verbal counterpart.

Kicking ass and taking names – quite literally – she takes on misogyny in Pakistan on the political, social and cultural fronts, and has amassed a following of more than 3500 people over a day and a half.

She has inspired her admirers with optimism and hope, and many want to buy her gifts. Some are quite smitten by her, including our friends from across the border.

We wish more of our aunties were like her. If you aren't aware of her existence yet and wish to cover your 'live-under-a-rock' status, here's a compilation of ten of her top tweets:

Aunty gives us much-needed schooling on women's choice:

And then takes on the men who tell women what (not) to do:

She hits on sexism in all the obvious places, where it remains unchallenged.

From the streets...

....to our minds, where concepts like justice have been warped:

It all begins at home, where Aunty pays plenty of attention.

She talks about fathers and daughters...

...mothers and sons...

...and since we love ghar ki auratein so much, she also touches on betis and bhabis of the national capacity:

That isn't the only kind of sexism on TV these days; there's plenty to be found in the other daily dramas...

Aunty acknowledges that she's only human:

But she isn't going to back down!

Opinion

The Dar story continues

The Dar story continues

One wonders what the rationale was for the foreign minister — a highly demanding, full-time job — being assigned various other political responsibilities.

Editorial

Wheat protests
Updated 01 May, 2024

Wheat protests

The government should withdraw from the wheat trade gradually, replacing the existing market support mechanism with an effective new one over the next several years.
Polio drive
01 May, 2024

Polio drive

THE year’s fourth polio drive has kicked off across Pakistan, with the aim to immunise more than 24m children ...
Workers’ struggle
01 May, 2024

Workers’ struggle

FACED with high inflation and bleak economic prospects nationally, the workers of Pakistan have little to celebrate...
All this talk
Updated 30 Apr, 2024

All this talk

The other parties are equally legitimate stakeholders in the country’s political future, and it must give them due consideration.
Monetary policy
30 Apr, 2024

Monetary policy

ALIGNING its decision with the trend in developed economies, the State Bank has acted wisely by holding its key...
Meaningless appointment
30 Apr, 2024

Meaningless appointment

THE PML-N’s policy of ‘family first’ has once again triggered criticism. The party’s latest move in this...