Urban legends

When we were young, there was this bride who went to Mayfair, the premier (dare I say, only?) beauty parlor in green road to get her hair styled. She got a fake hair bun fitted, which had a spider inside. And the spider sucked her blood on her wedding night, and she was found dead the next morning.

You could laugh at the notion now, but back then, I had no reason not to believe it. Spiders bite (look at spider-man, for example, who was, bit by?...) and if you're stuck with one in your head all night, who knows? But it was one of those urban legends that taught women that beauty has a price, and maybe commented ironically on how women were seen in those days.

What are urban legends and what are their purpose? There are many horror stories that have been depicted in Hollywood movies. Throw parties, get hacked by serial killer. Lose your virginity, get hacked by your boyfriend. Use drugs, wake up without your kidney. Go to the movies/parties, get jabbed with a syringe of HIV positive blood. Utter Candyman five times, well, not sure who will save you then.

I see them as fabrications of the conservative society to reassure themselves that things are fine in their world. These guidelines, if you will, also provide you a way of life that is safe, maintain status quo, and keep you within the norms of a society. And they are important.

I can laugh at the Mayfair incident now, but every time I insert my toes into my shoes in the morning, I wonder if there's a spider inside that will suck me dry. All day. To the point that I'll die, and no one will ever know why.