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Senior women journalists like Tavleen Singh, Seema Mustafa, and Manjeet Kripalani are questioning the women who speak up in the #MeToo movement. Barkha Dutt asks them why, in an open letter.
The #metoo wave which has engulfed our country will not abate anytime soon, as more and more women are coming forward with their own stories. Some allegations are against the most influential names, who were in powerful positions but were forced to step down due to public outcry.
However, just like any movement where there is a strong support for all women who have decided to speak up about what they went through, there are those who question its authenticity. Surprisingly enough, respected women journalists such as Tavleen Singh, Seema Mustafa and Manjeet Kripalani are among them. Tavleen and Manjeet have in fact, stood in favour of MJ Akbar on their social media platforms.
Journalist Barkha Dutt decided to send an open letter to these ladies, asking them, why they have such a misogynistic reaction to this situation.
She asks in a polite tone that they had once fought for the rights of women, but today they are not backing the biggest battle against harassment and subjugation. How can they refuse to make men accountable for their actions, and instead are once again putting the blame on women? These ladies have asked – why did she not speak up earlier?
The answer to the question is – it is not always as simple as that. In a lot of these cases, the women were in a vulnerable state. They were juniors, interns, applicants, struggling actresses or simply scared to raise their voice. They feared for their jobs, reputations, careers, and in some cases even their personal safety. If you read the stories, most women even then had stood up against harassment and voiced their opinion, but no one believed them or heard them out. It was labeled as a publicity stunt and dismissed. For eg. Tanushree Dutta.
However, as one woman spoke up against what she had endured, the others who had also suffered at the hands of the same predator decided to raise their voice as well, and hence the movement started.
A lot of men have claimed that this movement is being misused as a smear campaign to malign their name. The question is why women who have not known each other before, have no connection whatsoever, suddenly decide to get together and tear down the reputation of a random man.
Tavleen has responded to this letter by saying that her generations of women were fighters and not victims, as those in the #metoo movement are claiming to be. Another comment by her was that the movement right now is only powered by urban and elite women. Those who are truly vulnerable and in the lowest strata of the society are still not speaking up.
It does not matter who is speaking up as long as someone is.
The movement is trying to bring about a change in the mindset of the society. It has already toppled some empires and shaken the power dynamics across industries. Let us not allow the momentum to die down, the fire to burn out, and the anger to simmer down. Let us ensure that the movement once and for all ensures that women can start to leave their house and go in the outside world without fear and with their head held high.
Image source: YouTube
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Shows like Indian Matchmaking only further the argument that women must adhere to social norms without being allowed to follow their hearts.
When Netflix announced that Indian Matchmaking (2020-present) would be renewed for a second season, many of us hoped for the makers of the show to take all the criticism they faced seriously. That is definitely not the case because the show still continues to celebrate regressive patriarchal values.
Here are a few of the gendered notions that the show propagates.
A mediocre man can give himself a 9.5/10 and call himself ‘the world’s most eligible bachelor’, but an independent and successful woman must be happy with receiving just 60-70% of what she feels she deserves.
Darlings makes some excellent points about domestic violence . For such a movie to not follow through with a resolution that won't be problematic, is disappointing.
I watched Darlings last weekend, staying on top of its release on Netflix. It was a long-awaited respite from the recent flicks. I wanted badly to jump into its praise and will praise it, for something has to be said for the powerhouse performances it is packed with. But I will not be able to in a way that I really had wanted to.
I wanted to say that this is a must-watch on domestic violence that I stand behind and a needed and nuanced social portrayal. But unfortunately, I can’t. For I found Darlings to be deeply problematic when it comes to the portrayal of domestic violence and how that should be dealt with.
Before we rush to the ‘you must be having a problem because a man was hit’ or ‘much worse happens to women’ conclusions, that is not what my issue is. I have seen the praises and criticisms, and the criticisms of criticisms. I know, from having had close associations with non-profits and activists who fight domestic violence not just in India but globally, that much worse happens to women. I have written a book with case studies and statistics on that. Neither do I have any moral qualms around violence getting tackled with violence (that will be another post some day).