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Without feminism and equality for everyone, our society would never be able to progress and would stagnate.
We all have been brought up in a patriarchal society. This is a world where man is mighty and woman is meek, and anything different from this norm is sentenced unnatural and hence, wrong. If you ask a woman if she has experienced bias, she would never answer in the negative because it is the rite of this unbalanced world to nurture a woman with sexism. From every ‘wife-husband’ joke on WhatsApp to every ‘learn to take a compliment’, from every ‘you are girl, you should know how to cook’ to every ‘are you on your period?’, the level of ridiculousness and apathy the misogyny has reached is laughable but at the same time, extremely sad.
Not just men but women also bring down other women because the misogyny has become internalized. Every woman is socialized into thinking that hers is the weaker sex that has certain ‘gender roles’ assigned to it. The need is, therefore, of speaking up. Every woman must raise her voice.
Even while you are sitting with your family and a casually sexist remark comes up, you must prick at that issue and make your family members realize their mistake. Of course, you will be christened the ‘buzzkill’ of the family and friend-hangouts but as women of the modern world, it is our obligation to do so. They’ll say ‘it is just a joke’, ‘equality is okay but some things are natural’, ‘you girls are too emotional’. It makes us want to avoid confrontation but we should face it bravely.
When the issue is of wage-gap, talk about it amongst your colleagues. When your peer cracks out sexist and rape jokes, call them out on that. When you think a girl child in your family is being neglected, speak up and point out their fault and ignorance in the matter.
EachForEqual requires every woman and man to stand up for equality. The protest for equality is something that would occur if all of us come together and become the pioneers of change. That would begin when each of us takes up the responsibility of starting discussions, supporting feminism, and bringing change in any and every shape we can.
We need to open up safe spaces where women can talk and discuss their issues. It needs to be a global phenomenon supported by everyone. Without feminism and equality for everyone, our society would never be able to progress and would stagnate. To have a better future where all citizens are treated with respect, EachForEqual is something we all need to adopt.
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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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