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#PoonamPandayRow: When Will Society Stop Looking At Women’s Nudity Without A Gendered Gaze?

Written By: Apurwa Shrivastava
November 9, 2020
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Milind Soman, on his 55th birthday was turning up the health quotient at the Goa beach. The nude picture of him running at the beachline became the overnight #FitnessGoals and rightly so! His chiseled body and radiating energy is considered a coveted scale to map one’s own fitness journey. Cut to the following Thursday, a picture of Indian actress and model Poonam Panday taken at Chapoli dam floated around on social media. Needless to say, she was not just mercilessly slut shamed but was also retained by the Goa police for trespassing into the government’s property and shooting an “obscene video”.

The skewed Indian morality that is more often than not applied only to women did not flinch from calling her a dubious model who is desperate for a day’s worth of fame. Emancipation is a word which is often thrown around on topical days like women’s day and mother’s day. But it does little to hide the blatant hypocrisy of the double standard people who otherwise perpetuate misogyny at every opportunity. It is alleged that feminists are always “angry”. The question repeatedly comes back, “Why are you not?” 

When a woman’s nudity is latched on to nothing but sexuality, it reinforces the regressive idea that the purpose of a woman’s body is nothing beyond appearing sexual. The idea of liberty does not apply to women. Therefore, if she decides to feel the skin in the sun without her clothes, she is baselessly considered “asking for it”. The dystopia of the society that grants “permission” to men to express themselves and their sexuality takes away the bodily agency of a woman. As a result, when she acts against the instructed values of society, it immediately becomes a scandal.  

It is worth noting that performative activism screams capital punishment when a woman is sexually assaulted. A number of social media outrage tides up and everyone unanimously wants DIY justice. However, when it comes down to addressing the structural problems that have plagued every aspect of a woman’s life, the engagement seemingly falls flat. 

The stark difference between netizen’s respective reactions to Millind Soman and Poonam Panday’s nudity is just a pixel embedded in the bigger picture tainted with misogyny. It was not long ago when a South Indian actor Samyukta Hegde was assaulted for working out in a sports bra at a public park. 

A woman in control of her sexuality is a threat to society. But why? Through histories and cultures, women’s lives devoid of any agency whatsoever have been dictated by the patriarchal moralities which assign them certain code of conduct. Over the years, these differences turned into norms. The normalisation of how a woman is supposed to conduct to remain respectable in society worked in every way against their freedom and liberty. As a result, women who expressed their desires were categorically shamed and assaulted into conformity. Even history has carefully documented the witch hunt of women who tried to break away from the social values piled upon them. 

Cut to present, not much has changed, when a Poonam Panday is called pornographic and obscene, when vultures of self-proclaimed guardians of constructed patriarchal society come to feed on the carcasses of a woman’s body, it is an assault on the collective emancipation of all the women fighting to guard their rights and agencies in life. Like they say, “we will be born a thousand times from the ashes of witches you try to burn.”  After a huge protest by another set of internet users who not just identified the gender disparity but also vocalised it, a case was then registered against actor Milind Soman under IPC section 294  (obscene acts and songs)  and section 67 (punishment for publishing/transmitting obscene material in electronic form).  But the question never ceases to haunt us, will society begin to look at women without its prejudiced gendered gaze?

Apurwa Shrivastava

Apurwa Shrivastava helps some of the most prominent Indian brands in amplifying their campaigns and initiatives on the digital. A feminist and supporter of gender equality, she strongly believes in promoting the right conversations across diverse industries. She loves writing her heart out when not generating ideas. You might find her in the kitchen rehearsing her own cookery show at times, and oh, she makes the best Kerala styled pepper chicken!

2 thoughts on “#PoonamPandayRow: When Will Society Stop Looking At Women’s Nudity Without A Gendered Gaze?”

  1. sikis izle
    November 16, 2020 at 3:16 am

    I value the article post. Really thank you! Awesome. Milly Fabiano Terrena

    Reply
  2. Numara Sorgula
    June 26, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    Thank you for this beautiful article. It’s really a good article

    Reply

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Infano Care

This Delhi Based Designer Has Been Serving People For 15 Years!

Written By: Sonali
February 7, 2021 | 01:57 PM |
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Remember the time when the term social media influencer started to pick up? Today, it has turned into a full-fledged profession, and people are doing exactly what they love in the name of it.

Today, I’m happy to introduce one such social media influencer, social activist and a youth icon from the industry of fashion, who is not only doing what she loves but also inspiring her thousands of followers to follow their dreams — for them, this is not some side project but her passion which she is living and enjoying wholeheartedly!

A fashion influencer & designer by profession and a social activist by heart, Delhi-based Pooja Motwani is a perfect inspiration for people who want to start their passion project from scratch.

“I started working just after finishing my school in 2004, and I always wanted to do something different and creative in life,” says Pooja who was always fond of fancy jewellery and trendy clothes. She knew what was in trend, and what wasn’t in fashion.

It has been 15 years since Pooja stepped into this industry and with multiple exhibitions in more than 16 countries, people love her work — both online and offline. Her brand offers a complete range of Indian wear, including suits, sarees, lehengas, and costume jewellery designed by herself and handcrafted by skilled craftsmen. Apart from this, she also owns My Rajasthan Concept and Moh Essentials Rose Gold Oil.

“Always believe in giving 100% to your work, and you will definitely get a positive result,” says the fashion influencer. “Investment could be the second part; the most important thing is to have the courage and ability to do something different. And this can only be achieved by believing in yourself more than anything else. And yes, invest in creativity and hard work.”

Pooja says that being a fashion influencer has its own perks — one can earn by setting up an exhibition or by affiliate marketing or by selling through shops, social media collaboration etc. and can make up to INR 2-3 lakhs per month. But she also mentions the fact that it takes time and patience to reach that stage.

Pooja Motwani is not new to the world of fashion. She has established herself since 2004 as a designer, supplier and exporter providing the best quality products to consumers across the world, with the grace of God and experience of almost 16 years exhibiting in Delhi & out of India. 

Ms Motwani has participated in world Sindhi Sammelan San Francisco as an official fashion & jewellery designer and did a fashion show. Her concept was to work on Sindhi styles with Sindhi models and Sindhi music, she created a Sindhi fashion show and presented in Sindhi Sammelan San Francisco and Toronto which was the limelight of the event wherein she launched Sindhi outfits & Sindhi Ajrak Dupattas.

She created an organic | reusable | sustainable ajrak handmade mask collection in covid period & it has been a talk of the town since then.

Being highly concerned towards women empowerment Pooja Motwani has encouraged and helped many girls in establishing their business by giving innovative ideas. Moreover, she is a well known social worker. Ms Motwani has contributed tremendously during Kashmir floods, Nepal earthquake, Chennai floods, St Marteen Hurricane & Kerela floods. Pooja Motwani & her team is running feed the needy campaign for Covid 19 & have given ration To 3000 families.

Motwani’s greatest possession is her happy clients who have immense satisfaction with their purchase.

Madness is perhaps the most common symptom of this genius. Her exact quality has inspired Indian wear & Jewellery designs by Pooja and her spectacular range of jewellery. She started all of it at just the age of 17. Pooja considers designing as her passion for life which is also signified by her beautiful De$!neR Tattoo engraved on her hand.

The soft-hearted social activist also mentions that she regrets trusting people who cheated her for goods/ money. She believes in women empowerment and has encouraged and helped many women in establishing their business by giving innovative ideas. She has also contributed tremendously during Kashmir floods, Nepal earthquake, Chennai floods, St Marteen Hurricane, Kerela floods, and has given ration to more than 3000 families in COVID-19 relief.

In the end, she says, “follow your dreams. Please study hard and trust yourself. Do not give up easily as anything takes time to bring a positive result. But if you remain focussed, you can achieve anything and everything.”

Nothing comes easy, but then who wants it easy? Do you know any social media influencer or an entrepreneur, or are you one? Write your #PassionToProfession story to us and let the world get inspired by your wonderful journey! 

FashionHandicraftinspirationInspirational womanJewellery designersocial media influencer

Sonali

A 'non-9-5 desk job' ambivert geek who chooses her own audience, Sonali loves sharing stories and finding the corners where humanity still exists! She believes that every individual's story is unique and special. She loves writing about the untouched and unspoken segments of society. When not writing, you can find her listening to someone's stories or playing with dogs. Sonali values mental health and encourages people to speak their heart out!

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