Gerel Shakeeva, About Kalmyk Women

Abstract

Gerel says she grew up as a shy girl. She was not supposed to be noisy in front of her father or brothers. Today whenever she visits her brothers Gerel always helps them lay the table and do the washing up. In her childhood, she was discouraged from looking at the mirror too often or admire herself. Gerel’s mother did not praise her children. These are common traditional bans for women: single women should not sharpen a knife, women cannot sing to themselves, argue with men, or interrupt their elders.