During one of the panel discussions on one of NDTV programs social scientist Kamla Bhasin raised a very interesting point, she called nakedness a natural phenomenon but objected to nudity which in commercial media tries to objectify the female body. Kamla Bhasin made very interesting argument against the widespread nudity in advertising and movies which objectifies male and female (especially female) bodies and presents them as a consumer product. She also took a strong objection to derogatory lyrics of some Hindi movie songs which clearly present the female body as some object for male enjoyment. She raised similar concerns during the episode related to domestic violence and gender sensitivity on Amir Khan's show Satyamev Jayate. She insisted that nakedness is natural, and there is nothing wrong in it but nudity is purposeful, and especially female nudity which directly results in the objectification of female body (especially in movies) is also the result of age-old patriarchal culture.
One can argue that what type of clothes to wear or how much to expose one's body is entirely a personal choice, and what is shown in movies is a matter of artistic freedom. But I guess she wants to question whether this is done because of individual choice or because of pressure to present oneself in particular form because of the prevalence of patriarchal culture. One can clearly see this when men are all dressed up in suits and on the same stage one can see women wearing revealing clothes and high heels that too in nicely air-conditioned rooms, which must make them feel chilly and uncomfortable. If all this is because of individual choice then no one should object to it but is it really like this? No one can question an individual's right to choose what dress they want to wear on any occasion but whenever I talk to people it doesn't seem like like there is a choice. I see many women and men complaining that they can not wear same dress on two different occasions because people will taunt them or pass some adverse comments about their dress. I always wonder whether people dress up out of choice or out of compulsion or pressure to fit in? I never used to feel comfortable in suits and many traditional Indian dresses and on many occasions, in functions like marriage or festival celebrations, I refused to wear them and faced a lot of criticism for doing that. I didn't care what people thought about me when they saw me like that but it seems many do care and they care a lot about what people will say about their external appearance. They care so much that many dress to fit into that image of real men and real women at the cost of their own comfort and choice.
To pressurize or force anyone to expose their body is equally bad as to force them to cover it. Surprisingly most people don't believe that because of aggressive advertising, there is tremendous pressure on men and women, especially on women to dress and look in a particular way. Specially women are considered modern, liberal, or progressive only if they wear certain type of clothes, this stereotype is very common all over the world. I see many people talking against the burqa or ghoonghat where women are forced to cover their bodies, this system is part of some cultures or religion but not many people raise their voice against pressure on women in today's world to expose their body or dress in a certain way. I always wonder why only one of these things is considered regressive and forceful? It seems many believe that wearing a burqa is more oppressive than a bikini walk which is mandatory during many beauty contests. It also seems that people find it hard to believe that women can choose by their own will to wear burqa, sari, or ghoonghat but they easily believe that all women choose to wear revealing clothes out of their own choice. Actually, in both cases, if it is done under any direct or indirect pressure, there is no individual choice. The human body is treated as an physical object in both cases. If forcing women to wear a burqa is wrong them forcing them to walk on a ramp in a bikini is also wrong. The male body is also objectified heavily in movies which is again a very serious issue. I agree that it is a very recent phenomena compared to female body objectification but we can see that it has also started. One can see many products in the market and aggressive ad campaigns which strongly advocate of certain body types and shapes for men and women both.
We need to stop this human body objectification. I don't think it is easy to stop this process because this objectification is so seamlessly done that many times people don't even notice that they are being objectified. They follow it as a fashion trend or a way of looking beautiful or just to fit in the image of an ideal man and woman created by this seamless objectification process. With examples from my own family and friends I can see how seriously it affects the minds of people. I was so surprised by this phenomenon that I started thinking that it is a myth that people choose their own dress, my observation says that most people choose their dress based on what others think about their choices, and very few dare to choose what they want. One can give different names to that force, one can call it peer pressure, gender stereotype, fashion trend, culture, or some other name but I found very few who were willing to go against the popular norm and dare to think differently. I know it is a tough battle, and it is not easy to stand alone from a crowd, I know how it feels. But still, I hope I see some more people who are willing to take this path, who are willing to question this objectification, challenge the stereotypes, and defy these unjust norms. After all, progress depends on all unreasonable people who challenge the status quo and demonstrate that it is possible to change things.
One can argue that what type of clothes to wear or how much to expose one's body is entirely a personal choice, and what is shown in movies is a matter of artistic freedom. But I guess she wants to question whether this is done because of individual choice or because of pressure to present oneself in particular form because of the prevalence of patriarchal culture. One can clearly see this when men are all dressed up in suits and on the same stage one can see women wearing revealing clothes and high heels that too in nicely air-conditioned rooms, which must make them feel chilly and uncomfortable. If all this is because of individual choice then no one should object to it but is it really like this? No one can question an individual's right to choose what dress they want to wear on any occasion but whenever I talk to people it doesn't seem like like there is a choice. I see many women and men complaining that they can not wear same dress on two different occasions because people will taunt them or pass some adverse comments about their dress. I always wonder whether people dress up out of choice or out of compulsion or pressure to fit in? I never used to feel comfortable in suits and many traditional Indian dresses and on many occasions, in functions like marriage or festival celebrations, I refused to wear them and faced a lot of criticism for doing that. I didn't care what people thought about me when they saw me like that but it seems many do care and they care a lot about what people will say about their external appearance. They care so much that many dress to fit into that image of real men and real women at the cost of their own comfort and choice.
To pressurize or force anyone to expose their body is equally bad as to force them to cover it. Surprisingly most people don't believe that because of aggressive advertising, there is tremendous pressure on men and women, especially on women to dress and look in a particular way. Specially women are considered modern, liberal, or progressive only if they wear certain type of clothes, this stereotype is very common all over the world. I see many people talking against the burqa or ghoonghat where women are forced to cover their bodies, this system is part of some cultures or religion but not many people raise their voice against pressure on women in today's world to expose their body or dress in a certain way. I always wonder why only one of these things is considered regressive and forceful? It seems many believe that wearing a burqa is more oppressive than a bikini walk which is mandatory during many beauty contests. It also seems that people find it hard to believe that women can choose by their own will to wear burqa, sari, or ghoonghat but they easily believe that all women choose to wear revealing clothes out of their own choice. Actually, in both cases, if it is done under any direct or indirect pressure, there is no individual choice. The human body is treated as an physical object in both cases. If forcing women to wear a burqa is wrong them forcing them to walk on a ramp in a bikini is also wrong. The male body is also objectified heavily in movies which is again a very serious issue. I agree that it is a very recent phenomena compared to female body objectification but we can see that it has also started. One can see many products in the market and aggressive ad campaigns which strongly advocate of certain body types and shapes for men and women both.
We need to stop this human body objectification. I don't think it is easy to stop this process because this objectification is so seamlessly done that many times people don't even notice that they are being objectified. They follow it as a fashion trend or a way of looking beautiful or just to fit in the image of an ideal man and woman created by this seamless objectification process. With examples from my own family and friends I can see how seriously it affects the minds of people. I was so surprised by this phenomenon that I started thinking that it is a myth that people choose their own dress, my observation says that most people choose their dress based on what others think about their choices, and very few dare to choose what they want. One can give different names to that force, one can call it peer pressure, gender stereotype, fashion trend, culture, or some other name but I found very few who were willing to go against the popular norm and dare to think differently. I know it is a tough battle, and it is not easy to stand alone from a crowd, I know how it feels. But still, I hope I see some more people who are willing to take this path, who are willing to question this objectification, challenge the stereotypes, and defy these unjust norms. After all, progress depends on all unreasonable people who challenge the status quo and demonstrate that it is possible to change things.
Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.
[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]
Links:
1. हम लोग : आगे बढ़ती लड़कियां, पीछे खींचता समाज
2. http://www.onebillionrising.org/249/kamla-bhasin-south-asia/
Links:
1. हम लोग : आगे बढ़ती लड़कियां, पीछे खींचता समाज
2. http://www.onebillionrising.org/249/kamla-bhasin-south-asia/
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