Vogue’s My Choice : Promoting feminism or feminazi ?

Feminism now holds the title for being one of the most eye-popping, introspecting and inescapable topic and has been creating a lot of buzz all around the nation. Be it events like sanitary pad protest or the Nirbhaya movement that swarmed the whole nation together , the society is finally showing some great signs of indispensable revolutionary cultural shift.

In a country where sexism is still so rampant such attempts to tarnish the caged mentality of the society is both crucial and obligatory. However keeping in mind the delicacy of the subject, the endeavor should be more towards elucidating the matter rather than exaggeration.

A 2 min 35 sec clip called “My Choice” as part of Vogue’s initiative on women’s empowerment however seems to have pushed the boundaries a little too far.

Based on a piece written by Kersi Khambatta, the video is directed by Homi Adjania and is a montage of 99 women (including Deepika Padukone) from all over India posing in front of camera. Not only the clip sounds like a self-indulgent rant but it also gives a sense of arrogance to the term women empowerment. It looks more about a woman who with all the shackles around her “free spirit” is vying to break free and rebel against moral norms too. While it is necessary to address the ‘narrow and caged’ mindset of society, right from one’s clothes to sexual choices, isn’t it equally important to draw a line and maintain a balance of some sorts ?

“My body. My mind. My choice. To be a size zero or a size fifty. To use cotton and silk to trap my soul is to believe you can halt the expansion of the universe. You are my choice. I am not your privilege. The bindi on my forehead. The ring on my finger. Adding your surname to mine. They’re ornaments. They can be replaced. My choice. To come home when I want. My choice. To have your baby or not to have your baby. My songs. Your noise. My odour. Your anarchy. Your sins. My virtues.”  These “my” and “your” exercise appears nothing more than a self-obsessed , hubristic monologue suggesting that men are inevitably at odds with choices women make in their lives. Doesn’t it reduce the terms feminism and empowerment to only being better than men?

What the video lacks in its basic essence is its connection with the real issues faced by women at large. The video is too elite and urban to be significant for both oppressed and cherished. All these ‘empowered’ women talk about choices that would mostly be the concern of the urbanized flock. The whole monologue revolves around choices of sex, clothes, staying out etc. totally skipping the most significant choices like that of getting equal education, job opportunities, financial independence and the power to support their families . Is it fair for a campaign that says women are empowered by their choices – to focus on choices that can seem so trivial in nature ?

Videos like these which mispotray feminism as feminazi usually get a much positive buzz. Aren’t they substantial enough to prove how misguided our society is towards women empowerment and feminism? It is really upsetting to see how these terms are losing their true essence and meaning. What good is promoting something that we aren’t completely meticulous about ?

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Nishant Singh

twitter.com/nishcanc11