Being called a “Pataka” or a “Tandoori Murgi” to be gulped down with alcohol. Not being allowed to go out past 10pm. Unrealistic standards of beauty. Downright evil fairness commercials. Brands promoting silky, straighter hair. Rappers telling us that our waists need to be smaller and our heels higher. Random men on the street humming “Kaddu katega toh sab mein batega (When the pumpkin is cut, it is divided among all)“.
Does the list end?
As a 21-year-old woman, born in a small town, who has grown up skinny and dark-skinned, I know exactly what these things do to the psyche of a young girl who doesn’t know any better.
Fortunately, I received an education, and, with that, empowerment. But what about the children who are not as privileged? I shudder at the thought that so many of them will grow up believing that they are not good enough because a fairness commercial says so. I’m scared at the possibility of young boys learning that harassment and stalking is as normal as portrayed by Bollywood Heroes on the big screen. Young boys need to be told that toxic masculinity and unhealthy persistence is not the way to “get” the girl they want.
Imagine the amount of potential that is wasted when young kids are being harassed on street. And why? Because some boy actually believes “Bhare bazaar baby, Kalle naa jaana nahi te shor mach jaayega. Harr koi aashiq tujhe tere ghar tak chhod kar aayega (In the crowded bazaar, baby, don’t go alone, Otherwise there will be a huge commotion. Every lover, will come to drop you back to your home).” Idolising Bollywood heroes is not new in our country.
You’d think this is some shady song from some shady movie. No, its not. It’s from a mainstream movie with Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor as the leads. It’s time that Bollywood takes responsibility for the power that it has. This needs to be looked at from the point of view of the younger demographic. In India, audiences are extremely impressionable. Maybe an educated audience will not go and watch a movie because it looks senseless, on the face of it. But who can ignore the fact that these movies still make it as box office hits? There are millions feeding on this sickening content.
At a time when people are openly calling out the episode of #KoffeeWithHardikPandya for it’s misogyny, with everything that happened with the Gillette advertisement, and with Yash Raj Films facing backlash on twitter for promoting a character’s clear harassment in the movie as amusing “antics”, it’s time for some big action to be taken.
It’s time we also take a step towards change.
I have taken mine and started a petition against this, #WomenNotObjects. Will you take a step too and sign it?