By Meghana:

I was scrolling down my Facebook news feed and came across a status that read: “To crack an interview, one either needs confidence or boobs”. Seeing this coming from an “educated” student, left me appalled and gobsmacked.

Yes, it was offensive and if someone thinks it was in good humour, well they certainly have a very poor and sick sense of humour. This is not new, in fact, I am pretty sure all of us might have experienced such crap every then and now (not sure if everyone treats it as one). This, my friend is the gender stereotype we all talk about, presented in the most preposterous sense. Women are objectified in every sense possible. If a woman makes it through a job, it’s inadvertently presumed that it was because she is an eye candy.

I want to use the most simple and blatant language possible so that it’s clearly understood that women are not objects or eye candies or other terms that are more than often used to define us at professional institutes. If a guy is not able to make it to a position that a girl holds, it’s time he faces the situation the way it is. The woman is downright better than you sir. It’s imperative it comes across; because if you think it should hurt your self-esteem, make sure it does not. As we need to rest assured that you don’t develop made up notions in your head and god forbid, go on to insult the entire female fraternity for having breasts.

This is the problem with our unreconstructed, hypocritical mindset. Girls have been the victims and now when they have actually dared to take a step ahead; it is these thoughts that hold them back. Men cannot preordain what is good for us, or what we are meant for. It is this question of self-esteem and satisfying one’s ego, because of which, in spite of strict laws rapes continue to happen. Women are still vulnerable. Rape is not just an act of sexual assault abetted by sexual desires. It’s a matter of over powering and taming the weaker sex.

This has to stop. To stop this we have to get rid of the numerous stereotypes that are so innate and deeply entrenched. Parents need to have their daughters fight back instead of just making them realize that this world is a cruel entity. Parents need to teach their sons that it makes you no less of a man if you lose to a girl. The youngsters need to know that they need not stick to gender roles that society has so strictly defined for them. We need to get out of our virtual shells and get rid of this hypocrisy and the dogmatic, irrational opinions that we hold.