She’s so strong.”“She always keeps it together.”“I don’t know how she does it all.” Phrases like these are often said with admiration — and they are meant to be compliments. But for many South Asian women, they can feel like shackles dressed as praise. Because behind that carefully managed strength, there’s often an invisible truth: exhaustion, emotional labor, and the quiet pressure to always show up — even when falling apart inside. In our culture, resilience is expected. But what happens when resilience isn’t empowering — it’s demanded? The Culture of Carrying It All From a young age, South Asian girls are trained to be caretakers. They’re taught to serve…