Nalini’s
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(group member since Feb 21, 2016)
Nalini’s
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from the Our Shared Shelf group.
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Me and my team are conducting online interviews for a project on women navigating urban spaces in India. The project is part of an online course on UX design by IIT Bombay. The interview will be approximately 1 to 1.5 hours long in duration. People of all genders are welcome to participate, including queer folx and those who self-identify as women. If you are interested, kindly fill out this form. Your participation would mean the world to us!https://forms.gle/4AyrqcGQqnd5Zfs48
I am from India, looking for a pen pal. We can chat about hobbies, literature, feminism, sports, economics, psychology, and other ologies. Any topic really. Feel free to ping :)
Hi, my name is Nalini. I'm doing masters in Womens Studies from TISS Hyderabad. I'm just curious if there are others in this group doing their bachelors or masters in Gender Studies. If so, where are you currently studying and how's your experience been so far?
Please sign this petition to support criminalisation of marital rape in India.criminalize-marital-rape
Marital rape is a thing. So is LGBT rights.
Wow! I am learning a lot from this thread! I proudly identify as a feminist, while believing in equalism, and not caring whether people identify as feminists or equalists. If you believe in equality of the sexes that is enough.
This is amazing!!
I'm from India and I'd love to participate!!
Ashwin wrote: "What I am trying to say is we should move towards the kind of society where those who choose can without being judged."I agree with this, Ashwin :)
"Feet of Clay" by Ffyona Campbell
Ishita wrote: "Thanks Ashwin. I agree. We're all above considering any gender-centric issue a social faux par or a social taboo. Even something like periods or impotency. If we're all matured enough to read and l..."That's commendable. But, personally, for me, there may be some things that involve trauma, some experiences, and I might look too blatant for saying this but these I do not want to discuss in the presence of men. There may be others like me. I think that is ok and should be respected.
May I suggest a blog I started following recently. I loved her views on the misrepresentation of women in Indian media. Please check this out. Bicycle Without A Fish
I wrote a book review for "The Color Purple" on my blog. Here's the link The Color Purple - Book Review
Hi Harshada. I read "The Color Purple" and it's like no other book I have ever read. I'd love to meet you people. Virtual meet sounds good too. Anybody from Mangalore?
Ishita wrote: "Besides, saying we need male allies to protect us from these threats, to make ourselves better heard and to make our message come out stronger, defying the whole idea of gender equality, much less feminism?"Hey Ishita, I agree with that we don't "need" men to give our speeches for us, or even protect us from rape and death threats, because that would miss the whole point of feminism.
From my comment I wasn't implying we need men to protect us. By writing about online spaces where we get death threats for speaking out, I wanted to draw light to the privilege that men have when they speak up. Many times we don't need men while sharing our experiences, and we want to discuss our issues without their presence. We don't need them to speak on our behalf, but they can use their privilege to speak about some issues like "toxic masculinity" and "male stereotyping" just like Ashwin did. But we can't forget that we are the ones going through thousands of years of oppression, not the men. And so feminism, to me, is a movement by the women, and for the empowerment and the end of marginalization of women, though it helps the other sexes too.
Our misunderstanding was because of the word "need". I realized that I overused the word "need". (haha) What I meant was that if men are interested in this movement, and if they are willing to come on-board, then we "need" them to listen, and like Ishita said, become an audience first.
Ashwin wrote: "Anshita, it must have been wonderful to have had the opportunity to attend a He For She campaign. I agree with you, women are considered a liability right from the birth, if they are given a chance..."Yes, I watched Satyamev Jayate, and I think it did good work spreading awareness about womens' issues in India, and I have to say I really respect Aamir Khan's work.
And, yes we need more men onboard, particularly men who are willing to learn more about women's issues. We need them to be quiet and "listen" to women's voices. God knows we live in a patriarchal society where men's voices are valued at the expense of women's voices. Many times I've seen that men who are ignorant about feminism, have misinformed opinions about women's issues. And these opinions are given more freely, and taken more seriously than ours, because they come from a man's mouth.
Men who want to be allies should to be willing to recognize their privilege, and to use that privilege to educate other men. Because online spaces aren't safe for women who speak about their issues, with rape and death threats. This is where we need male allies. They need to reach out to the ignorant masses using their voices. Instead of belittling women's issues, or mansplaining about those issues, male feminists/allies can ask women how they can be helpful to the movement. Also, they need to step out of the "limelight" and accept that this is not a movement primarily for them, even if it benefits them too. They need to let women take the lead.
Ishita wrote: "I don't quite agree with what you said about those TV serials. Every show, every plot is made for an intended audience. If a certain Hindi program is made for a targeted female audience, what's wro..."I think what I wrote was misunderstood. I don't think keeping the female audience in mind is sexist at all. What I should have said was that I don't appreciate the fact that tv soaps create stereotypes- like "the ideal woman" and "the bad woman". They depict Indian values that are steeped in patriarchy. Women are shown as submissive, and soft-spoken, who put every one else before their own needs. Some serials even glorify men/husbands who insult women. Now, serials often touch upon women's issues, which is a good thing, and there are new serials coming that portray women as more realistic beings.
But we need to see more of them.
Maybe it's too soon, Rome wasn't built in a day. :p
I know there is sexism in Hollywood also. But there are Hollywood actresses speaking up openly against it, and being applauded for it. I don't know if Bollywood has come to a place where the same is happening on a large scale. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Anushka Sharma did speak up about it, though. http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment...
Ishita, sexism is in the media everywhere, with the wage gaps, less roles for women, but I don't think it's the same everywhere. I feel it is more deeply rooted in Bollywood. Look at item songs, look at actors who in their middle age are playing young characters opposite heroines who are young enough to be their daughters, gender-roles. But then, this is just my view.
We do need to address sexism in a global way, but some problems are specific to where we live. Although they may have a lot in common, they need to be tackled differently. That's what intersectionality is all about. I think twice about wearing a skirt or a dress in public, but a girl in Paris probably wouldn't. Addressing sexism is definitely not about blaming a country, but rather about acknowledging what's wrong with ours and as you said, about speaking out.
Ishita wrote: "I don't quite agree with what you said about those TV serials. Every show, every plot is made for an intended audience. If a certain Hindi program is made for a targeted female audience, what's wro..."I think what I said was misunderstood. I don't think making a show for the female audience or for the male audience in mind is sexist at all. What I should have said was that I don't appreciate the fact that tv soaps create stereotypes- like "the ideal woman" and "the bad woman". They depict Indian values that are steeped in patriarchy. Women are shown as submissive, and soft-spoken, who put every one else before their own needs. Some serials even glorify men/husbands who insult women. Now, serials often touch upon women's issues, which is a good thing, and there are new serials coming that portray women as more realistic beings.
But we need to see more of them.
I know there is sexism in Hollywood also. But there are Hollywood actresses speaking up openly against it, and being applauded for it. I don't know if Bollywood has come to a place where the same is happening. Maybe it's too soon, Rome wasn't built in a day.
Ishita, sexism is in the media everywhere, with the wage gaps, less roles for women, but I don't think it's the same everywhere. I feel it is more deeply rooted in Bollywood. Look at item songs, look at actors who in their middle age are playing young characters opposite heroines who are young enough to be their daughters. But then, this is just my view.
