SRK Isn’t A Gold Digger For Not Paying When He’s Out, But A Woman Definitely Is!

Shah Rukh Khan doesn’t pay if he goes out with friends. But imagine a woman doing so. Automatically makes her a gold digger, doesn’t it?

Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) recently hosted a “Ask Me Anything” session on his Twitter account, giving his fans a glimpse of his witty and charismatic self. During this session, a fan asked him if he splits the bill or pays it entirely when he goes out with his friends.

To this SRK replied “I don’t carry money, my friends pay for dinner when we go out.” No big deal, right? It’s fine because it’s Shah Rukh Khan. But imagine the same thing being said by a woman? There would’ve been all kinds of tags, brutal remarks and trolling everywhere!

Haven’t we heard this statement innumerable times from friends, colleagues and acquaintances? There has always been a very uncomfortable relationship between women and money.

No matter how high she soars, people take it for granted that a woman is exploiting a man’s pocket for her fancies and luxuries. They seem to believe that a woman cannot fund herself and is hunting for ways to enjoy the luxuries of life by exploiting someone else’s pocket.

‘Oh she’s just a gold digger!’

A recent example, would be Rhea Chakraborty. Remember how she was brutally trolled and mentally harassed over the allegations that she was bearing her expenses with the help of Sushant Singh Rajput’s money?

Similarly, singer Monali Thakur too was accused of being a ‘gold digger’ when she married a Switzerland-based restauranteur Maik Richter. The singer later slammed the trolls by saying, ‘the gold digger earns more than the successful businessman.’

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Another example of this would be anchor Shibani Dandekar being called a ‘gold digging scumbug in a polygamous relationship with Farhan Akhtar.’ Dandekar was called all these names after she supported Rhea Chakraborty.

The trolls vandalised her Wikipedia page to call her a gold digger. They also changed her Wikipedia relationship status to, ‘Dandekar has been in a polygamous relationship with Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar since 2018.’ The page was later restored, however, not before it was shared multiple times.

Isn’t it time we stopped using this term?

‘Woh toh uske paise pe jee rahi hai,’ (She’s living off of his money) isn’t this a phrase we have all heard and read and discussed? Even in pop culture, there are numerous examples of women being called ‘gold diggers’ either for marrying older men or for living a lavish lifestyle.

Tags like ‘gold digger’ are of course scornful but they are equally sexist in nature. Feminism believes that every woman should be independent in all aspects.

Such sexist and derogatory remarks must be eradicated from society. If a woman can manage her career, her life and her home, she can just as easily manage her finances if she strives for it.

Picture credits: Still from Bollywood movie Chennai Express and SRK’s Twitter

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