Feminism (in my MOTHER land)
Feminism. A word that is flashing all over social media and if you still haven't put your head down and tried to understand what it means, here you go, 'equal rights to women as men'.
The law is blind (or is just too ignorant). It says all humans are equal before the law and yet, men, somehow sneak in their dominance in one odd way. (*caughing* Salman Khan).
Let's dig into the point deeper. Equal rights are theoretically served to both sexes. In a country like India, men have distributed rights and freedom to women in their own religious ways. This act of pushing down women has been there since the earliest times and with an honest determination have men carried it on, to be so.
The world spins around and societies change as well. This oppression is now very slowly, being pushed away by the urban women. we read tweets saying "Kudos! alas! you go girls! #girlpower" hmph. really? is this oppression being really taken off? Are we finally going to see a harmony in the society? Questions look far off. Here's why.
The modern day "forward" women, as men like to stereotype them, are marking trails to show what all they can do (sometimes clearly better than men), many a times are tending to trip down on their own trail. The picturing of feminism is riding a different track in this country. Here's how.
Let's consider movies like 'calendar girls','lipstick under my burkha','sultan','hamari adhuri kahani'.
Try reminding yourself a bird's eye view of the story.
Though 'hamari....' and 'sultan' put out the lead characters of women to be strong , gritty, independent and to be fighting for their place in the society, the story somehow whirls down and spins into finally portraying them to be weak and looking for a man.
Coming to 'lipstick.....' although it stuffs at the audience what women of all races go through is the same phase of oppression, it finally seals the climax where all characters are PORTRAYED to enjoy freedom, smoking. (see why i stress upon portrayal). This act of portraying all races of women to enjoy freedom and feminism with a cigarette and a glass of wine in their hand trying to match up to the 'man' of this world, will be helping none of the young kids who are growing up watching this. Here's where you will definitely have an opposition to what I say, but I insist reading this through.
I, the author, don't have to tell you about why smoking kills and why it isn't the way to enlightenment but just coughing your way into a grave. Your question by now, will be "men smoke too and nobody has an opinion about it". The question here is about feminism in India and how you want to see feminism grow in this country. Opposing men from smoking is another article I'm already developing ( in case you were judging me to be a sexist) Thinking about it might tell you, there are a million better ways to inspire and teach young girls in India to be strong and have her word in this society. Equal pay in the corporate world, shutting down gossip pages online, burning down slut shaming and fat shaming, eradicating the selection of racist characteristics of a women on celluloid (all of them being white!), ejecting ads that sell fairness creams and their products,producing inspiring female protagonist lead roles and revolving stories around her, a heroine saving a kidnapped hero. This list can go on forever.
What I want you to note that is, smoking and alcoholism aren't the only ways to experience freedom as equal to men (and they don't help in any other way as well).
There are other wonderful (in fact 'paisa wasool') movies like 'mastizaade', 'grand masti' which reach the 100 crore club (now tell me where feminism is placed in India).
And there are movies like 'Mary Kom', 'Jai Gangajal',' 'naam Shabana','Khubsoorat' that show feminism as not a luxury but a necessity.
Again. I'm not against women smoking or drinking , I'm a feminism enthusiast who just wants to see feminism to grow above and beyond this act of women trying to match up the men doing it (it=drugs, alcohol).
Santrupth
The law is blind (or is just too ignorant). It says all humans are equal before the law and yet, men, somehow sneak in their dominance in one odd way. (*caughing* Salman Khan).
Let's dig into the point deeper. Equal rights are theoretically served to both sexes. In a country like India, men have distributed rights and freedom to women in their own religious ways. This act of pushing down women has been there since the earliest times and with an honest determination have men carried it on, to be so.
The world spins around and societies change as well. This oppression is now very slowly, being pushed away by the urban women. we read tweets saying "Kudos! alas! you go girls! #girlpower" hmph. really? is this oppression being really taken off? Are we finally going to see a harmony in the society? Questions look far off. Here's why.
The modern day "forward" women, as men like to stereotype them, are marking trails to show what all they can do (sometimes clearly better than men), many a times are tending to trip down on their own trail. The picturing of feminism is riding a different track in this country. Here's how.
Let's consider movies like 'calendar girls','lipstick under my burkha','sultan','hamari adhuri kahani'.
Try reminding yourself a bird's eye view of the story.
Though 'hamari....' and 'sultan' put out the lead characters of women to be strong , gritty, independent and to be fighting for their place in the society, the story somehow whirls down and spins into finally portraying them to be weak and looking for a man.
Coming to 'lipstick.....' although it stuffs at the audience what women of all races go through is the same phase of oppression, it finally seals the climax where all characters are PORTRAYED to enjoy freedom, smoking. (see why i stress upon portrayal). This act of portraying all races of women to enjoy freedom and feminism with a cigarette and a glass of wine in their hand trying to match up to the 'man' of this world, will be helping none of the young kids who are growing up watching this. Here's where you will definitely have an opposition to what I say, but I insist reading this through.
I, the author, don't have to tell you about why smoking kills and why it isn't the way to enlightenment but just coughing your way into a grave. Your question by now, will be "men smoke too and nobody has an opinion about it". The question here is about feminism in India and how you want to see feminism grow in this country. Opposing men from smoking is another article I'm already developing ( in case you were judging me to be a sexist) Thinking about it might tell you, there are a million better ways to inspire and teach young girls in India to be strong and have her word in this society. Equal pay in the corporate world, shutting down gossip pages online, burning down slut shaming and fat shaming, eradicating the selection of racist characteristics of a women on celluloid (all of them being white!), ejecting ads that sell fairness creams and their products,producing inspiring female protagonist lead roles and revolving stories around her, a heroine saving a kidnapped hero. This list can go on forever.
What I want you to note that is, smoking and alcoholism aren't the only ways to experience freedom as equal to men (and they don't help in any other way as well).
There are other wonderful (in fact 'paisa wasool') movies like 'mastizaade', 'grand masti' which reach the 100 crore club (now tell me where feminism is placed in India).
And there are movies like 'Mary Kom', 'Jai Gangajal',' 'naam Shabana','Khubsoorat' that show feminism as not a luxury but a necessity.
Again. I'm not against women smoking or drinking , I'm a feminism enthusiast who just wants to see feminism to grow above and beyond this act of women trying to match up the men doing it (it=drugs, alcohol).
Santrupth
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