Every now and then, we run into a video that says exactly what we need to hear, exactly how we need to hear it, from exactly whom we need to hear it from. Friends: we have found such a video. Originally posted by Harshveer Jain on his Instagram account, it garnered even more attention when it was shared by TheFemaleLead on TikTok.
“There’s this motivational quote that says ‘You were born alone and you will die alone,’ and like… no! My mom was there when I was born,” Jain begins with a laugh. But the subject matter quickly turns more profound.
“This is just an example of how men and boys are taught to just ignore women’s labor right from birth. A woman carried us, fed us, took care of us for nine months in her body, and then pushed us out, possibly breaking some bones and muscles. And then when we have quotes about self-made men… Mom made me! Literally!”
I, for one, welcome our new Feminist King. But perhaps you’re thinking ‘OK, sure, but women have been having babies for thousands of years. This isn’t all that big a deal.’ But Jain points out that when it comes to inventions, patents, or machines, we praise the inventor for “nurturing an idea, nurturing a product, nurturing a machine, we call them the inventor. We give them all the credit no matter how good the machine does for humanity.”
“We easily discount childbirth as something that just happens on its own,” he continues. “And then it also, this is the second layer of misogyny: where girls and women are just assumed to birth babies, [irrespective] of what it does to their body. And instead of being seen as a favor that they’re doing to the world, it’s seen as a responsibility that they must fulfill towards the world. That’s bullsh*t.”
“Born alone, die alone? F*ck that,” he concludes. “This is all because a woman chose to have me. The key word being ‘chose’ to.”
We have no choice but to stan, I fear.
Needless to say, the women in the comments section were applauding enthusiastically, praising his perspective as both something that he’s clearly reflected on and complimenting his inventor/mom for her powerful influence in his life.
Others expanded upon his idea with their own experiences.
“I was a female combat medic. The word I heard most over 5 years was ‘mum,’” one commenter shares.
“And these same men that claim to be born alone and die alone,” another observes, “most times will have their wives and daughters take care of them in their death bed.”
“I would pick you over the Bear any day,” a third jokes, and, like, it’s a joke but also the highest compliment I think we can pay to a man at this point.
But it wasn’t just the ladies who were delighted by the message.
“Bro!!! You just cleared 5 decades of a bs story I heard and propagated without examination,” a male TikTok user cheered. “Blessings to your momma.”
Blessings to Jain’s momma and to all the mommas: who never really get quite the credit we deserve.
