Womanhood has become the most celebrated entity in recent times. From influencers to corporate giants, the noise made for showing solidarity to the woman gender is worth mentioning. But when we pay close attention to the lives of each woman, are these noises making their lives any easier? The WHO and UN have projected an increase in the cases of domestic violence in the pandemic era. So what is this paradox?
Hold on! This is not a gender glorifying session. But beyond that
Among men and Women, the latter has always been subjected to complying to the norms of the society in all walks of life. She begins to be treated differently right from the point she was born. We know that times have changed, and this difference in treatment has got better with time. She is now an independent, charismatic, strong-willed human with dreams and steadfast enough to get things done.
As much as the world seemed to have adapted to this ‘equality’ the tons of tiny nuances that still exist in our day to day lives shout about discretion. From being sidelined in your dream project to the rape culture, the list is endless. I’m sure most of the women out there have faced one or the other instance where they might have dealt with the same.
The general perception of a woman is of an entity that is fragile, sweet, and that which acts as a source of comfort. The millennial era has broken this bubble into pieces. But the spectator society hasn’t taken this well.
Being an ambitious woman is considered a sin now. This feature takes a toll on their sex appeal at dramatic levels. Because most men can’t seem to deal with headstrong and opinionated women whos more than a pretty flower to look at. It is considered a gentleman demeanor to pay bills or to add just a phrase of ‘ill handle it’. Keeping aside the ‘romantic’ part of it, the continued practice of such ‘polite’ acts eventually cripples the woman’s ability to handle a situation. Women often like flamboyant gestures and cheesy lines which adds color to their feminine aura. But, relationships also need a dose of understanding each other’s love languages rather than misogynistic behavior.
Talking of privilege especially in an Indian scenario, the lady is given preference in long queues or a seat in public transport, but the same men who offered this helping hand will be the ones to unleash toxic masculinity to the women at their own houses. Even after being called ‘fragile like a flower’, the woman wilts away into thin air from the splurge of ‘man hormones’. Indian women have become extremely ‘okay ‘ to be treated like this and the patriarchal society labels her as a victim of globalization if she disagrees with it.
When stay at home moms and wives happily takes care of the household and its beings, we often forget that it is just a choice she makes and not due to lack of skill or ambition to pursue another career. We have become blind enough to acknowledge this fact and over the years it became a stereotype for a woman. It is now normal to expect a set table and a spotless home from the woman in the house.
From chores to culinary skills, a woman is supposed to magically imbibe this to her system around her mid-twenties. If not, she’s simply not worth it, as they say! (slow claps).The same applies to a man, where he is supposed to be an extrovert with chiseled physique by the time he’s an adult, irrespective of his journey.
The woman gives birth. She is the root of progeny. She carries the child in her womb for 9 months and goes through the tormenting process of labor and gets it out! She feeds the child because obviously, no one else can. Being an ardent multitasker, the responsibility of the kid slowly gravitates towards her. Thanks to the overflowing maternal instincts, the lady doesn’t have a problem with it. Modern-day parenting does have equal participation of both the partners, but we’re talking about a crowd that still hasn’t reached there yet. Modern or not, parenting undoubtedly is a play of two.
Do not get biased when I say ‘society’. Both men and women are stakeholders of this judgemental group. Often, women find bizarre ways to take down another woman. From slut-shaming to backstabbing, some women find it extremely entertaining to take part in such lame acts. The exaggerated versions being the plots for most tv soaps, sometimes do make us think. Most times progressive women are faced with a thin air of judgment and eye rolls by the people of the same gender itself. So much so that, if a woman walks around without a smile pasted to her mouth, a new slang word is coined — RESTING BITCH FACE. Because hello! Women are expected to be sweet and approachable all through her average 70 years of the life span!
But why does this cringy demarcation exist even in the tiniest of situations? Keeping aside the anatomical differences between a man and a woman. Don’t we all belong to the same species? Don’t we all equally take part in the race for survival in this world?
As humans, we are kept at the highest level in the taxonomy. Each one of us possesses a unique set of skills and talents irrespective of our gender. The same applies to the flaws. This is probably why we end up in pairs, yet again irrespective of the gender, and fill the gaps in each other. As basic as it sounds, this has to be the ultimate motto of human existence.
So where does gender comes in all this, because after all, we are humans. And the choices we make deserves to be respected irrespective of the gender. Probably why ‘feminism’ has to be the most manipulated word ever. It is not about who wins or loses. It is about the unbiased treatment towards an individual. The chivalrous custom of ‘ladies first’ was originated back in the day as a way to protect the women and children. As we stand in this millennial society, the women of today yearn to be heard, let alone protected. This cry in the form of protest or hashtags gets misread yet again as a cry for attention, which clearly is not the case. Men or women, it is ultimately the work they put out and the ideas they wish to convey.
It is about breaking stereotypes and rising above from a society functioning solely on the grounds of obnoxious rules. It is about building our own little empires without the fear of being judged.
It is nothing but to merely co-exist with all fellow beings in this mighty world.
Men are from earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it — George Carlin
