I don't watch award shows (anymore). So the Golden Globes this year were no exception. But then I read about how all the people who attended the awards wore black in protest against the sexual harassment wave that's been plaguing the film industry lately and I was intrigued. I was also proud that women were starting to stand up and speak out against issues that were previously considered 'normal'. Harassment does not just constitute rape and many people have trouble in grasping this concept, but I was also happy to read that this was starting to change slowly but surely.
Here in India, you worship goddesses, but you don't hesitate to "accidentally" bump against that woman on the street. I admire the way these women in hollywood are standing up for themselves and then I look at my own country and the thousands of women including myself, who fear going out alone after 7pm and I wonder if our issues will be solved if we wear black too. Will it send a message to the men who whistle and spout obscenities at us as we walk home from work? Will it stop them from trying to brush up against us when we take the bus or train? Or will it stop them from propositioning us if we're out after 7pm all by ourselves? I wonder....
We preach about how women need to stand up for other women but we don't stop ourselves from talking about how the "hot girl" at work got promoted because of the length of her skirt or the colour of her lipstick. Will wearing black stop us from taking each other down? I wonder...
I have worked in places where my juniors were paid more than me because they were men and I have known women who worked in the top management but were paid less than their male counterparts. Will wearing black give us equal pay? I wonder...
Will it stop certain men from thinking that women are not smart enough, strong enough or evolved enough to take the lead on something? I wonder...
Will wearing black stop female infanticide and child marriage or human trafficking here in India? Will it stop the society from judging an unmarried woman by letting her know that her "biological clock" is ticking away? Will it stop those men who brand a woman as a lesbian if she chooses to remain unattached? I wonder...
I admire these actors who wore black, I really do. It was a great show of strength and unity in the face of something so horrible. I admire their courage for speaking out against those who harassed them and I respect the way they have reached out to the other women in the same situation. And then I looked at our own film industry and saw how a group of men have been intentionally bringing down the ratings of a page created to empower women in cinema and I was so terribly ashamed. I was ashamed of those men who were writing terrible things on the page and trying to bring down the few women who had the audacity to speak up for their rights. Will wearing black stop this from happening? I wonder...
I don't judge all men by the same scale, not at all. But I do wish I knew more men who respected women. I wish that some of my own friends and family understood that women don't just belong in the kitchen. I wish that they understood that women can have opinions too and I wish that we could stop being afraid. Will wearing black help with that? I wonder...
Maybe I should wear black more often.
*image from Google