I am pretty sure thy eyes are right HERE courtesy the picture on thy side. India has finally parachuted down from cloud ‘cuckoo land’ to an age of gender equality and even fighting for it, if not received. From Remya Ramachandran , the woman from Kerala who cancelled her marriage as the groom’s family demanded dowry to Mary-Kom who successfully rose above all chauvinistic restrictions, the ‘fairer?’ sex have glacially but profoundly continued to validate their stamp of acceptance over the past few decades.
Recently us ‘Bhaaratwasis’ engaged ourselves in a social media war against Bhupendra Chaubey for relegating Sunny Leone to an object of lust and perversion. I myself applauded Sunny Leone for her calm and composed demeanor during Chaubey’s substandard interrogation. Her sheer strength and determination won me over and my respect for her increased tenfold….until I saw Mastizaade.
I was quite perplexed after watching the movie. Did my inborn patriarchal chauvinism accumulated as a result of the ‘lessons’ passed on to me by my fathers and forefathers override logic and reasoning? Did I actually not believe in freedom of speech and gender equality? Fortunately I watched a female film critic tear the movie into shreds and berate Sunny Leone for ‘lighting the country on fire’ with sleaze.
Yes, Leone is guilty as sin for using her body to entice viewers. How in god’s name do you expect men, neigh any human being with a pulse, not to objectify her when she is objectifying herself? When Miley Cyrus involved herself in the whole ‘twerk’ incident, the US tabloids had a field day crucifying her as her performance was retarded beyond normal comprehension. I know a lot of my female friends who socially smoke and drink (which is completely fine by me…so hold your horses) and they admit that they do enjoy the occasional cigarette or shot of vodka without going all social justice warrior and haranguing men. Accusing Sunny Leone of dehumanising herself in Mastizaade to sheer eye-candy is not senseless objectification, but simple logical observation.
What is feminism? Is the term constructive or destructive? While attending the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, Susan Sarandon said that she embraced the term ‘humanism’ over ‘feminism’ deeming the latter to have negative connotations of fear and repression. Men and women should learn to peacefully co-exist without stepping over each other but sadly in our country, for the most part, its either yin or yang. After being oppressed for the better part of time women deserve to be patted on the back for rising up to the occasion, but promoting their cause by belittling men is like playing a guitar without strings. People should be appreciated for their talent and perseverance and not their gender.
Why is it that people scream about the morality of item numbers but nobody criticizes the current male obsession with washboard abs and shaved chests? I am quite certain that all the femi ‘nazis’ who continually fight against the ‘item number’ propaganda glistened with ecstasy when John Abraham showed a tad bit of his derriere in ‘Dostaana’ and speaking of actresses solely existing to add to the glamour quotient of a movie…when was the last time India saw a mainstream male actor who was not good looking?
I was appalled to hear the sad story of former Atlanta Falcons (an NFL team) linebacker Brian Banks who was falsely accused of raping his high school friend and who had to spend five years in prison as a result of poor judgement. Being a registered sex offender he found it hard to get a job even after getting out of jail. He finally succeeded in proving his innocence after he secretly videotaped his meeting with the girl who falsely accused him, in which she admitted to have had fabricated the story. If that is not gender discrimination, I don’t know what is.
I recently read a blog by Austin Blood containing a picture of Amy Schumer in her almost naked avatar for the 2016 Pirelli calendar and his views on womanhood. It was basically a request to all women to accept the fact that they are not perfect and stretch marks do happen as a result of conceiving a child. Women are as human as men, wake up in the morning with breath that could sometimes ‘kill a goat’ and have rolls when they bend over. Reading that blog led me to conclude that women who manically fixate on getting the perfect bikini body do not contribute towards the de-objectification of women, rather they help in achieving the opposite.
When the Pharisees questioned his disciples on the authenticity of their teacher who was dining with tax-collectors at the time, Jesus retorted back by saying that it is the sick and not the healthy that require a doctor. Anyone who judges Sunny Leone based on her past is wrong and needs help, but if she continues to promote sleazefests like Mastizaade under the garb of feminism and women empowerment, it is going to be hard for her to come out of that image. I for one, am really not afraid to call ‘a spade a spade’.
Diagnosed with cancer at age 24, Rohan Thomas has fought the disease and won the battle. Now he fights for other causes through his columns
