A Perplexing Reality
Feminism. Equality over equity. Gender as a societal construct. The marginalisation of women. The unfortunate normalisation of gendered roles in society. Economic disempowerment. The constant, undirected, and unfocused subjugation and objectification of women. Overpowering masculinity. Chauvinism. Patriarchy. Girl Power. The importance of defiance in an oppressive society.
As familiarity seeps in, one may notice that all of the words mentioned above revolve around the incongruous gap between men and women; the gap which has been nurtured and nourished by the sociocultural attitudes of our society; the gap that tightens the corsets of women, engulfing our bodies into accepting the harsh and painful realities of today’s world – the stereotypical and sexist ideologies of beauty and boys, of thinner waists, of flatter stomachs, and bigger breasts. The untouched concept of training women to look beautiful, acceptable, diligent, courteous, and slimmer creates a void that only grows deeper, darker, and bigger. Such superficial expectations transform our once-hopeful bodies into carcasses brimming with self-doubt, low self-esteem, sickening modesty, and suppressive stomach-churning insecurities.
Our mind, a solemn place to retrospect and believe, is dissected with misogynistic ideas and an eternity of disempowerment, often split into segments conditioned to accept the principles of a majoritarian mentality. Our body, torn apart by the heinous accusation of ‘asking for it’ only to watch society stitch together a functional corpse – inexpressive and voiceless but Praise the Lord, for we are still fragile and fit the criteria of a Good Woman. Our frayed nerves, trampled by patriarchy. The very blood that courses through our veins is blasphemous and insignificant for speaking up and out loud. Our face, appalled and disgusted, as we walk through a gallery of artworks that glorify the commodification of women in Art. Our senses in dire need of awakening as they delve into the unforgettable fear of not being accepted for who we are.
Our cultural differences shape our subconscious and befuddle us with unreasonable expectations of a gender-bias community. Our society, often fuelled by the deprivation of voiceless women, eager to embrace their strength, resilience, fearlessness, and defiance. Caged to accept the society for what it is, we wonder if they will ever return the favour. Still in life and breathing with caution, as we watch the world take over our bodies, rights, and powers. The decades of negligence entwined with the male gaze continues to disregard the sexual toxicity that envelopes our bodies with the ‘indispensable’ need to satisfy patriarchal demands.
We live in a world that overlooks the oddities of our society and the unfortunate confinement of women in an artist’s mind. We live in a world that repeats History – where millions of women are treated as tangible products, trophies, and commodities. We are constantly beguiled in a world that advocates the sexualization of women as peace. We are often suspended between resolving irreconcilable differences of society and outgrowing the need to be defined by bold, rough strokes of a paintbrush groomed to glorify our curves and edges. We are forced to accept a world where we cannot claim our canvases. We are spellbound by the institutionalised ideas of beauty – neglecting the need to identify with ourselves. Exasperated, we continue to live in a world where we disassociate with the reflection of our body, slim from hunger and the freedom of choice.
And just like that, our inability to live in this tiresome world makes it a perplexing reality.
*Also on Medium – https://medium.com/blogs-for-women/women-in-a-perplexing-reality-23216d517787*
Comments
Post a Comment