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Even a Kerala court recently decided that a woman could not file a molestation case because she was wearing a sexually provocative dress. See? I rest my case.
It’s that time of the year when a strange news article appears and leaves you gobsmacked, wondering what stage of evolution our society is in. It’s the kind of thinking that even a T-rex, while chewing on his lunch would find regressive during his time.
Did you recently read about the asst. professor who was fired for sharing photographs of herself in a bikini on her personal social media account. Some parent managed to get a hold of it and went running to the university management after discovering that it was being circulated amongst the students. The teacher claimed that she had no idea how these images were leaked but lose her job she did, for besmirching the reputation of the institution.
Of course this is her account of the events and I’ve given up journalism years ago, but what this incident surely reeks of is the age old disease of deification of women in various roles, as mothers, sisters, doctors, teachers, who don’t fit the bill unless they fit into the squeaky clean adarsh nari template.
Imagine how incensed the institute was when she asked for a written letter of their decision, that they slapped a legal notice on her, demanding a mindless amount of 99 crore rupees. Now either this institute really had its moral fibres singed in this fracas or they had some urgent repair work and needed emergency funds.
The professor in question insists it was a mistake but stands her ground on the fact that being a teacher does not mean she can’t have a personal life. What would you do in her shoes? Wear a salwar kameez for a swim to be inducted into the hall of fame of morally upright teachers?
I really wonder how our collective common sense deserts us in so many matters especially pertaining to women. If there was a misconduct or even a complaint, of course there should have been an investigation, but a fair one, where she could have had her say, where the leak was reported, where she wasn’t looked upon as some sexually deviant person preying on her students.
When Aamir Khan’s daughter wore a bikini for her birthday pool party, she was trolled mercilessly.
A few years ago, Mithali Raj, someone who has a biopic released in her name recently, was asked to pull down a picture and shamed for wearing a low neck tank top. Talk about double standards. For how can a player with breasts and wardrobe choices ever prove her mettle on the cricket ground. What will the world think of our women cricketers! Haw!
Safa Baig, Irfan Pathan’s wife was trolled and abused for wearing bright nail polish. Go figure.
One of the most disappointing comments I read recently on one such post, shaming a model wearing a top with a plunging neckline was from a woman who said, ‘What is this!? Please go wear a sari.’ If only she had an iota of the grace and magnanimity of a sari that accepts all kinds and shapes and sizes.
An apparel is just a packaging. It’s the mindset within that matters. Even a Kerala court recently decided that a woman could not file a molestation case because she was wearing a sexually provocative dress. See? I rest my case.
Cricketers, teachers, actresses, politicians, no one is spared. Women professionals wanting to have a personal life, opinions and individual choices is still frowned upon to a large extent in many pockets of society. It isn’t ‘right’, read convenient. Conformity is comforting. Whoever choses to look beyond, live beyond, should prepare to be judged, labelled and ostracised.
Richa is a Ted X speaker, an award-winning writer, columnist, ex-journalist and advertising professional. She has authored four books of which three are being adapted for screen. She is a blogger and travel read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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