I came across That Sassy Thing through word of mouth, and ordered their products soon after; opening the packaging and seeing representations of real humans with real bodies, hair, and rolls was such a breath of fresh air. It felt congruent with the values I hold as an individual. And, that’s when I thought of applying for an internship and I am so grateful that they offered me a role in the content and business domain.
Everyday was a new day. The nature of the assignments that I received, put me in a state of flow, since the tasks were well-aligned with the skills I was bringing to the table. They were challenging enough for me to develop new competencies, for instance research… a lot of research! Conceptualizing communication, reading new articles that were trending and changing conversations around the globe, it was exciting. I used to send snaps of my screen at work and it would say something like: “Top 10 ways to have a bomb sex life”, my friends were like “teri job toh badi sahi hai, are you really at work?”.
One of my favorite things to do was shortlisting reel ideas, planning their execution, and reading blog posts that resonated with the brand's voice. I recall, talking to people about sex, pleasure, masturbation and even kinks….soon I proudly became the Aunt Sassy of my group, and my friends did not hesitate to start chatting with me about their craziest fantasies and masturbation stories. It has brought us closer than ever! My boyfriend was once the most fidgety persons when it came to talking about sex, (Oh boy! I remember the grumpy expression on his face when I bought LIT). But, soooo much has changed since then; he is way more accepting and I think even more excited than me to try new things breaking away from the strong doses of conditioning that we’ve been given from the start, and let me tell you a little secret: our intimate life has leveled up A LOT! I cannot forget the night before I had to give a presentation about different sex positions in front of a bunch of people the next day. It made me super jittery. I thought of just chickening out to be honest. But when I finally took the leap, I never felt lighter. It was that feeling of winning a battle. I was so surprised at myself to have overcome two fears at once - public speaking and public speaking about sex in front of your boss.
I’m so glad that I got to unlearn so much while working at TST. The way we are conditioned since childhood to view the world through a lens of ‘ladkiyan ye sab nahi karti’, ‘boys don’t cry’ and of course the worst bollywood tropes that have made matters worse: ‘ladki ki har naa mein haan hoti hai’. This experience has given me numerous tools to actually shift from these age-old conversations. From being a person who never thought that there was anything wrong because it was so systemically normalized; to smashing the gender norms and owning it - I have come a long way! I now don’t hesitate before I critically analyze tea-time conversations and building up the courage to call out sexist comments and stereotypes.
If I was asked to describe my old and new avatars in 3 words each, I’d say - coy, reserved and fearful - to bold, unapologetically me and of course sassy AF!
Plus, shoutout to the supercool work-culture! Whether it was talking to colleagues between breaks and helping each other out, or random conversations about food and new shows on Netflix at the lunch table, there was something to learn from everyone, especially the effort everyone put in to make each person feel like one team. I particularly felt so much warmth and judged myself less around them. I am not going to lie, there were days that were tough but the environment was consistently encouraging and understanding and I learnt how to take constructive criticism. For instance, it was really hard for me to change or ask someone for their pronouns and I felt weird doing it. In fact, I remember trying to avoid conversations because their pronouns were different from what I was used to. But gradually, I’m working my way and politely correcting myself at every step without a kernel of guilt. I want to show all my gratitude to TST for giving me this opportunity that has not only been a catalyst in my career growth, but also personally equipped me with the tools to own my voice and stand up for myself and not compromise on ANYTHING just because “ladkiyon ko adjust karna padta hai!”
P.S. I cannot wait for TST to launch exciting stuff this year. Really looking forward to it!
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About the author:
Sadhya is a psychology student who is aiming to pursue her higher studies in human development and counseling. She aspires to bring her knowledge of the subject and normalize conversations about gender inclusivity, empowerment and pleasure at the dinner table. Her journey of self-betterment involves learning from mishaps and appreciating the smallest victories in the biggest ways.
