By Shreya Sridhar
“Boys vs Girls”, an episode on the popular Tamil reality show Neeya Naana that airs on Star Vijay (“The Feminine Psyche” in the Hotstar version), has led to frantic discussion on social media about sexism ever since it aired last month. The episode debated common gender stereotypes such as “men are better drivers” (championed mostly by the men on the show, who deployed dialogues like “girls are the straight way to the graveyard”).
What is special about this particular episode is a participant called Namitha, who speaks up about dress codes that are enforced on women. She goes on to debate with the other participants about why only women are questioned when they go out drinking or go to pubs, and men aren’t. She calls the men on the show out when they try to argue with her, saying that they cannot view a woman outside of the roles of a wife, a mother and a sister, and that any move they make to show their individuality is perceived as bossiness.
This episode showcases not just Namitha speaking up, but a lot of other women questioning the blatant sexist comments that the men on the show make. As another female participant put it, “When I came in I was asked to fill in a form that said – I, son of ….. – is there no place for women/daughters in this show?”
As lovely as it is to hear this discussion happening on a television channel, what is better is that Namitha was called back by the anchor and the director of the show for a conversation about her politics, a video of which was put up on YouTube.
For those of you who aren’t Tamil speakers, Namitha explains why she thinks that advising women to dress and behave in a certain way, even though you may have their best intentions at heart, is a form of benevolent sexism.
For airing her views on national television, Namitha was made the subject of Internet ridicule. Everything about her was vilified, from her upbringing to her hairstyle, because what place is there for a free-thinking woman in India?
In the YouTube video, while she is explaining her stance very calmly, she is rudely interrupted by the interviewers, who try to explain that by advising women they really are trying to protect them. Well, I think Bhupendra Chaubey has company to be found in the south.
Thank you Namitha, and the other girls on the show who spoke up so calmly against the misogyny of the men there. Thank you for sharing what you had to say on a broadcast television show. We need more people like you, and more power to voices like yours.
Shreya Sridhar is a Navi Mumbaikar currently living in Bangalore and working in digital advertising. She tweets @shreyaeats.