BY ISHITA ROY
I am sure I caught your attention with the heading itself! Now that it is done. Go find out what Adam Teasing is. Hint: opposite of Eve Teasing. And Yes, it is a real thing!
We get angry when we see women being harassed. Objectified for their gender. Their profession being ignored. Women being reduced to merely a “pretty face.” And this anger is legit. But when the same happens with men. It should also enrage us.
I remember coming back home on 7th August 2021, from one of my exams. Tired and sleepy. But I still glued myself to the TV to see Neeraj Chopra. Finally winning gold in Tokyo Olympics for India! The 23-year-old gold medalist became the second-ever individual Indian to win Olympic gold. And this is a big deal!
And since then, he has been on every news channel. Every interview. On every newspaper heading!
However, in one of such interviews on a radio show. Something went down. And it absolutely shouldn’t have.
RJ Malishka, best known for her feminist views conducted this interview. Ended up receiving tons of backlash.
Here’s Why ?
Objectification is not just a woman-only issue. Reducing any person’s achievements only to their physical features by the beauty norms of society is objectification. And it can happen to anyone. And that’s exactly what happened in the interview.
Every interview professional or casual certain protocols should be followed. This one was different.
The interview started with RJ Malishka accompanied by her female colleagues dancing for Neeraj Chopra. The worst is yet to come. They danced to a song called, “Ude jab jab zulfen teri” (whenever your hair flips). While Malishka also carried a flower and gestured it towards Chopra. She further twitted this clip with the caption: “Ladiesssss..Yes I got the hard hitting, deep answers too but..Take the first 4 secs before the cam moves to the zoom call to guess who we are dancing for (emoji) 😉 #udejabjabzulfeinteri and then tell me I did it for all of us (emoji)”
Before the Olympics, Chopra had long hair. Which obviously would flip as he threw the javelin. And Malishka danced to a song that talks exactly about hair flips. Coincident? I think not.
After the embarrassing dance, she asked Chopra. “Sorry, humne zyada to nhi chheda na aapko?…” (sorry, did we tease you a little too much?)
She further offered him a virtual jaadu ki jhappi (hug). And Chopra’s uncomfortable reaction to that was very much visible. Chopra humbly declined the hug saying that he is okay with an afar Namastey.
Do You See The Problem?
If you still can’t. Let me help you. Now reverse the gender. Imagine a sportswoman being interviewed by a male RJ. Imagine him along with his colleague dancing for her on a song that objectified her for her physical features. Him offering the sportswoman a flower. And further a virtual hug. All that in the name of an interview. Now you see the problem?
The Real Definition of Feminism
Feminism is about equality. Feminism means equality. It is about creating an inclusive and safe space for everyone. Men. Women. Gender-non-conforming. People along the gender and sexuality spectrum. If someone tells you anything different than this. Then that is NOT Feminism.
Remember, when you see someone disrespecting this safe space. Call them out!