Jyoti, 18, is a student from Bihar.
Of long brinjals and cucumbers
It was a wet, dewy morning after last night's rain. I never wanted to leave my bed and go out, but household chores needed to be done. I went out to buy some vegetables from the nearby market. There I met Seema bhabhi my friendly neighbour, who too had come out for the same task.
The moment she left, I heard some whispers from the two female vegetable vendors. Ours was a small village and everyone knew everyone else! Yes, even the vegetable vendors!
‘Today Seema bhabhi has purchased extra long brinjals and cucumbers!’ said one of the vendors and laughed. The other woman laughed with her!
I felt a bit strange. A vegetable is a vegetable. Why were the two women fussing over its shape? I couldn't get this remark off my mind. What was the connection between the vegetables and their length? I was sure that there was something cheeky about that remark.
My friend from the city
A few days later, Chhabili di, a friend, who was just like my sister, returned home for her summer vacation. We both were close and shared everything. So I rushed to meet her that evening. We had so much to talk about ever since she left for the city to pursue her studies. We both sat on the terrace and talked our hearts out!
As the evening progressed, the brinjals and cucumbers came to my mind. Chabili di would the perfect person to ask! ‘Hey di, one thing has been bothering me for many days now. I can only ask you because I can't share it with anyone,’ I said to her.
‘What is it, Jyoti?’ she asked. I told her about the whole Seema bhabhi episode and how she was teased for buying long vegetables and asked why were these women fussing over the length of the vegetables.
Chhabili di laughed hard. Then she calmed down and said, ‘Although many people are not aware of this, vegetables of a certain shape are used for self-pleasure by women!’
I looked lost!
‘Tell me, don’t long brinjals and cucumbers look like men's penises?’ Chhabili di asked.
Since I had never seen one. I did not know what to say.
‘You know a lot of women use them as sex toys! To insert them in their vaginas to masturbate. It is very normal. Many girls in my hostel use them too. Wait, let me show you. Look at this,’ Chhabili Di said as she pointed to her phone.
Facing the truth
After this, she showed me some videos and pictures on her phone. Bananas were used to depict a penis and oranges were used to show women’s breasts while a flower was to demo a clitoris!
‘Ooooh! So Seema bhabhi may be using them for this purpose!’ I said.
‘You never know. Or maybe it’s just what the vegetable vendor women think. Only Seema bhabhi can tell the truth. You want to ask her?’
‘Nooo!’ I squealed, as we both laughed and finished our chai.
To protect the identity, the person in the picture is a model and names have been changed.
Have a similar story? Share with Love Matters (LM) on our Facebook page. If you have a specific question, please ask LM experts on our discussion forum. We are also on Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.