Feminism is something world is going gaga about and naturally it gets attention from everyone as it is one of the major issues in the society. In attempt to address, Vogue India released a video with Deepika on “Empower Women” message that has buzzed social media. In the video, Deepika talks of freedom of ‘Choices’.
No doubt womanhood should be celebrated.
No doubt it's your body, your mind, your choice.
No doubt, to be a size zero or size 15, is your choice.
No doubt, to marry or not to marry, is your choice.
No doubt, to love a man, or a woman, or both is again your choice.
But having sex outside of marriage? Your choice? I doubt!
To carry a baby or not? Solely your choice? I am afraid not.
• If you have choice to wear whatever you want, he has a choice to wear whatever he wants too. Do not call him outdated if he doesn’t give in to your fashion sense. It’s HIS choice. If it is your choice to wear a breast revealing dress, it is his choice to look at it and fantasize. It’s HIS Choice.
• If you have a choice to accept AIB Roast and laugh out loud on the jokes, the journalist also has a choice to publish the story in the way he wants. It’s HIS Choice!
• You have a choice to be size zero or size fifty he has a choice too. Don’t call him baldy if he has a receding hairline. Don’t call him fat ugly old useless man and refuse to take him to dinners because you feel embarrassed. Don’t push him to join Gym/VLCC just because you want him to reduce. It’s HIS Choice.
• You have a choice to marry or not to marry. He has a choice to marry the one he wants to and say No if he doesn’t want to. He can marry a wealthy chic because he thinks it would make his life better just the way women marry rich men. He can marry a fair beautiful slim girl just like women want tall good looking guys. He can dump whosoever he wants. It’s HIS Choice.
• You have a choice to work or not to work. No one should dictate that. Well, he has a choice to earn or not to earn too. He has a choice to go for a job or sit at home too. Do not call him a loser if he doesn’t earn much. It’s HIS Choice.
• If you have a choice to have sex before marriage, or outside marriage, or not have sex at all, he has a choice to all that too. Do not file a rape case on him if you had sex before marriage and later he did not marry you. Do not file a dowry and domestic violence and physical and mental cruelty case on him if he has sex outside marriage. Do not call him impotent and cry he ruined your life if he does not have sex at all. Do not get him arrested if he is a Gay and loves men. After all it’s HIS Choice.
• If it’s your choice to love temporarily or lust forever, it is his choice too. It is his choice to love you temporarily and move on when he finds someone better, someone hotter than you. If you can dump whoever you want, he can too. It’s his choice. Don’t call him pervert, desperate. He can have lust.
• You are my choice. I am not your privilege. Ahhh well …you are also his choice. He is also not your privilege that he would behave exactly the way you want him to. The way he wants to be is his choice. Stop changing him because he is not your privilege. And if he refuses to change according to you It’s His Choice.
• If it’s your choice to come home at 4am or 6pm; it’s his choice too to come whenever he wants. Don’t be upset and presume he is screwing women around while he might be slogging in office just to make sure you can afford a holiday this year at a foreign location. If you can have work, he can have work too and he can choose not to come home because it’s HIS Choice.
• If he goes out and chats with other women, do not call him a flirt and other names. It is his choice to interact with anyone who he wants. Talking to whom, at what time, with how many, for how long it’s HIS Choice.
• If it’s your choice to come home at 4am or 6pm; it’s his choice too to come whenever he wants. Don’t be upset and presume he is screwing women around while he might be slogging in office just to make sure you can afford a holiday this year at a foreign location. It’s HIS Choice.
• It is your choice to have his baby or not. Give him also a choice whether he should have a baby from you or someone else. Also, when you decide to get married to him but have someone else’s baby, do not beg for maintenance for that baby from him after a paternity fraud. To not pay for that baby It’s HIS Choice.
• You are my choice. I am not your privilege. Ahhh well …you are also his choice. He is also not your privilege that he would behave exactly the way you want him to. The way he wants to be is his choice. Stop changing him because he is not your privilege. And if he refuses to change according to you It’s His Choice.
Miss Deepika Padukone if it is your choice to open the bra strap in a video that’s supposed to reach millions of young girls you need to make a better choice to what you want to tell them. Doctors are already worried of rising numbers of teen pregnancy. You cannot preach choice without taking responsibility of those choices. We are human beings and our choices cannot be summed up in a 2 minute video. Because life is lived off Youtube and every choice has an action or reaction to it!
Miss Deepika, Size, Sexual preferences, Clothes might be feminism to you. Real women in villages or even cities face issues with basic education, girl child abortions, dowry and what not. Women need empowerment for basic rights not with sexual choices. Feminism isn’t about preferring women over men, It is about equality. … [1]
Yes, I am a man, but correct me if I am wrong when I define feminism. Isn't feminism about breaking even with both the genders rather than pulling one down? Isn't it about meting out equal treatments to both the sexes than being anti-men and slut-shaming other women? Yes, a certain section of men need to be shamed, but does feminism endorse inflicting pain on men in general to derive pseudo pleasure? In my opinion, the term feminism is as much for men as it is for women because men too struggle with gender stereotypes.
There is a very fine line between freedom and absolute choice, and that absolute choice can have multiple connotations, good, bad or ugly. The video can never be justified as empowering, not with Vogue's name on it, not with Deepika Padukone hooking her bra, and most importantly never on the pretext of feminism.
Oh, by the way, I never said you should not watch the video. You should, by all means. Because you too have that CHOICE, just like I do of having this opinion.
[1- Article By : Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj ]