How Feminism Ruined My Life
A woman has her head shaved, voluntarily. No big deal, right?
Well, she was getting paid for it. Five thousand dollars, no less. Yet something in the scene, the way she winced as the razor touched her skin, the look of abject humiliation on her face bothered me. She's a willing participant in this, I reminded myself. Yet, I couldn't help but avert my gaze from the scene. Was it the fact that a roomful of dozens of men was cheering on the spectacle, that made it doubly uncomfortable for the feminist in me?
After all, having long, lustrous locks are also a kind of boxing in, a performing to the norm, which feminists so rile against? So, ideally, the shaving off of said locks shouldn't have bothered me.
However the whole tone of the testosterone driven fest of hedonistic lifestyle sans any pretense of ethics was very uncomfortable to watch. Am not so sure anymore if it was just a bad movie or I reacted to it from the place I'm in right now.
I find what drives most people around me, most of the time, quite horrifying.The concept of contentment has become alien to people, in just a generation.The disappearance of tolerance from public life seems yet another reflection of the personal choices more and more people seem to be making these days.
Greed is good is the new slogan of the youth. I'd have no issues even with that, provided one would work hard and fulfill one's ambitions. Yet, the acceptable norm seems to be to get ahead at any cost. That should be disturbing to us as a people.
Of course my definition of what comprises a good movie is bound to differ from yours or perhaps even my own, a few years ago.
Our perception of a work of art is determined by our state of mind. A book one had read as a child will probably not hold as much attraction as a middle aged person. That is not to say certain works of art don't have a universal appeal.
As more and more my reading and state of mind has veered towards feminism and gender equality (what does that even mean?) I find it increasingly hard to watch mainstream Hindi movies. This rules out any TV series in Hindi at the moment. Revisiting old classics is as tough. Recently even a beloved classic like "Chashme Buddoor" had moments which made me wince. When proposing marriage, the character played by Farooque Shaikh tells Deepti naval's character that she must " obey" him because he is going to be her "lord and master"
Alright, maybe it was said half in jest, yet the point remains that it made me sit up and notice the words. That, in effect is how feminism quite ruined my life.
A woman has her head shaved, voluntarily. No big deal, right?
Well, she was getting paid for it. Five thousand dollars, no less. Yet something in the scene, the way she winced as the razor touched her skin, the look of abject humiliation on her face bothered me. She's a willing participant in this, I reminded myself. Yet, I couldn't help but avert my gaze from the scene. Was it the fact that a roomful of dozens of men was cheering on the spectacle, that made it doubly uncomfortable for the feminist in me?
After all, having long, lustrous locks are also a kind of boxing in, a performing to the norm, which feminists so rile against? So, ideally, the shaving off of said locks shouldn't have bothered me.
However the whole tone of the testosterone driven fest of hedonistic lifestyle sans any pretense of ethics was very uncomfortable to watch. Am not so sure anymore if it was just a bad movie or I reacted to it from the place I'm in right now.
I find what drives most people around me, most of the time, quite horrifying.The concept of contentment has become alien to people, in just a generation.The disappearance of tolerance from public life seems yet another reflection of the personal choices more and more people seem to be making these days.
Greed is good is the new slogan of the youth. I'd have no issues even with that, provided one would work hard and fulfill one's ambitions. Yet, the acceptable norm seems to be to get ahead at any cost. That should be disturbing to us as a people.
Of course my definition of what comprises a good movie is bound to differ from yours or perhaps even my own, a few years ago.
Our perception of a work of art is determined by our state of mind. A book one had read as a child will probably not hold as much attraction as a middle aged person. That is not to say certain works of art don't have a universal appeal.
As more and more my reading and state of mind has veered towards feminism and gender equality (what does that even mean?) I find it increasingly hard to watch mainstream Hindi movies. This rules out any TV series in Hindi at the moment. Revisiting old classics is as tough. Recently even a beloved classic like "Chashme Buddoor" had moments which made me wince. When proposing marriage, the character played by Farooque Shaikh tells Deepti naval's character that she must " obey" him because he is going to be her "lord and master"
Alright, maybe it was said half in jest, yet the point remains that it made me sit up and notice the words. That, in effect is how feminism quite ruined my life.
PS : An old piece, lying for some reason in my drafts folder. Really why not share it? It's how I still feel a lot about most things. Of course I'm not a perfect feminist; but I try, ok? :D
The "wolves" on a hunt and a howl...the scene you mention was ugly without a doubt.
ReplyDeleteGood read indeed..
Thanks for reading as well as for leaving your comment, Rupa . :-)
ReplyDeleteIntresting read. More power to your pen.
ReplyDelete