The Channel 46
1. Age-Difference
On one hand, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan are hailed as the ultimate couple and on the other hand, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are trolled endlessly. Though both the couples have a significant age gap, the one where the woman is older than the man is somehow considered “weird”, “abnormal” and “crazy”. In a country that abolished child marriage in the last century and is hellbent on upholding the law, people seem to be quick to point fingers at women who refuse to fall under society’s “rules”.
2. Dating “Rich”
The term ‘gold digger’ is thrown around so casually that it’s become a part of the public’s vocabulary. And this term is exclusively reserved for women who dare date or marry someone who earns more than them. This comes as a shock after the endless matrimony demands of potential brides looking for “well-settled” grooms. From Shilpa Shetty to Juhi Chawla and Sridevi to Amrita Arora, women are labelled gold diggers even when they have carved a name for themselves.
3. Live-In Relationships
Though the Indian Constitution has upheld several times the right of two consenting adults to live together without getting married, society lacks the acceptance. If a woman decides to not get married at an “acceptable age” she is taunted, probed and harassed to find a partner. And when the same woman finds a partner and moves in with them without signing a marriage contract, she is shamed for it.
4. Slut-Shaming
The virgin trope is the most infamous and absurd one that continues to thrive in India. From looking for “pure” brides when arranged marriage hunting to censoring the word virgin in Finding Fanny, Indians have a weird obsession with a made-up construct. If a woman has had a relationship, or she dates people consensually or engages in sexual encounters with consent, it’s simply her right to do so. It has nothing to do with her character, just like the hymen has nothing to do with sexual experience.
5. Choosing Career
A career-oriented woman is strong, ambitious and hardworking, not “masculine” and “asexual” as conceived by many. The expectation that women get married at the “right age”, take care of the house and renounce their careers once they have kids is ridiculous. A powerful female figure is apparently scary for society and it’s best to label her something nasty than accept that she can successfully take charge of multiple things in her life.
The Channel 46