Deepika Padukone is
Bollywood's reigning diva. Months after taking on a leading
newspaper for publishing inappropriate image of her's with grace and
dignity, Deepika went on to reveal that she had battled clinical depression.
So when this video emerged -- women's empowerment --
the expectations were understandably high.The video has got more than 3 Million
hits already and still trending.
Its featuring more than 100 women, most of whom are from
elite and privileged background. The video is part of Vogue Empower, an
initiative that the fashion magazine launched in October last year to mark its
seventh anniversary in India. Padukone’s video “My Choice” aims to bring
awareness to the cause of women’s right nationwide.
The video aims to tackle issues about women from all Genre be
it privileged or otherwise. Lot of responses have been generated on social
media and people have taken it up as their CHOICE to vocal it out.
But WHAT is the video
really trying to convey? Whose choice? Urban women? Educated women? Women in
general? Is there any choice for those who are not on the video? Answer sadly
is No!
This makes the whole discussion of "choice"
useless. You and I have choices, yes. The ability to have choices in life
offered us the privilege to watch this video and give our opinions on the same.
A privilege, which millions of other women in India or even across the world do
not have.
We as a nation, always have been domineering in nature when
it comes to Women. The CHOICES that a women has to make always had to be
balanced. It is not because she wants to do it but that is what she is expected
to do. The video has also called for a
change in the “caged mindsets” of those who are judgmental towards the choices
in life, including clothes and profession, made by a woman. That is
appreciable, though there is a fine line between one's choice and blindly
following choices made by others.
I also understand the counter argument too where everyone has
been saying that had men said the same lines about having sex outside marriage
being their choice, they would have been branded jerks and lots of other names
which I can’t recount here. But unfortunately, this has led to a girls v/s boys
debate.
Women empowerment is about equality. Treating a Woman as an
Equal to Man. This in an ideal would mean that both have their own right to
choose and make choices. Mature Choices.
But again, as it rightly mentions “Its your life, your
choice”
