Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
“Working late into the night is the unsaid part of being in the creative field” is a stereotypical statement to make considering it is not an everyday phenomenon. Assuming the statement is true as is, why do so many people join the creative fields given the fact that it’s all struggle and a small pay cheque? Till such time you make it big of course.
It is either slavery that rocks their boat or they are passionately in love with what they do. My truth is the latter. I started my career with one of the top ad agencies for a stipend of Rs.2000/- a month. My passion for the profession made me sign that contract. Today after just 10 years, I run my own advertising agency.
Here are a few more stereotypes about advertising agencies. ONE, ad agencies write slogans, how difficult could it be? Apparently not so difficult right? Given that the clients want to write them sometimes. TWO, agency people chat all day in the name of brainstorming and then leave office to head to a nightclub.
I think it is best I not defend this statement. Because we may end up revealing the secret that makes them shell out money for things they sometimes don’t need.
And then there is one stereotype that is absolutely true, “If you look and dress well, you will fit well in the advertising industry.” So true but so misunderstood. We are people who work very hard, party hard and come back to work looking awesome. It takes some commitment. I do it everyday.
If I were Megha in the Mia commercial, my reply to my well-meaning boss would be, “Yes I was working late last night, to ENSURE we had a beautiful presentation AND I made a dash home to come looking like I do, ‘beautiful’. Super right?”
Young Megha said it in her own way i.e. as beautiful as your work.
For me work is life and I make it beautiful.
My desk looks gorgeous, my visiting card holder is envied, the stationary on my desk is personal and expensive, my coffee mug is exquisite and I walk into office and to meetings with panache breathing my style.
I make an attempt to make “everything is as beautiful as my work.”
Here is what my ‘beautiful to work’ cabinet looks like
AND here is the MIA piece I am eyeing
And when I wear these, the client better have things to worry about like his campaign, his promotion and his job. In this very competitive world if he chooses to look at my… ring, who is at loss?
The power of stories to inspire change made me turn into a storyteller. I write on 2 topics that need a very clear shift in attitude – ‘Being single in India’ & ‘Stigma attached to mental read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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