Judging Sunny Leone is judging all women who dare to be 'different'
Eleanor Roosevelt rightly said, "Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent," and that’s exactly what actor Sunny Leone held onto when faced with a brazenly judgemental interviewer who decided to take on a moral high ground to question Sunny on her choices, suggested how she should dress and tried to convince her that she is no artist, but just a body.
Yes, one of India’s most senior journalists interviewed a woman actor to showcase his machismo and morality. While everything about the interview was wrong and contumelious, it was also an insight into the other side, as it were.
What’s the other side, you may ask? It’s the world where women decide to move away from the norm. They decide to do what’s "not normal" as we see "normal".
Choices could vary – from not marrying, to not having children, to not staying married, to becoming a porn star, to marrying a younger guy or marrying a married man, and the like.
In all probability, if as a woman, an unconventional choice has been made, questions on your morality or sanity, as the case may be, are bound to follow. And there are no boundaries for that. Just about anyone can ask you anything.
As a society, Indian women are judged at every point, from how we dress to what we do with our time, there is no running away from it. Either we give up or brazen it out as Sunny did.
Because the fact is that the interviewer represents an overwhelming perception that women battle with. Whether it is being covered from head to toe, as the interviewer pointed out, or being too "covered". Whether it is being a prude or being comfortable with sex – we lose either way.
One wonders if the interviewer would have displayed the same tenacity and rigour while questioning, say, a Kabir Bedi, who recently made a rather unconventional choice of marrying a woman probably younger than his daughter. Or for that matter, Yo Yo Honey Singh, on his regressive lyrics? Or a David Dhawan, who can be credited for introducing an entire generation to crass and sexist humour. Probably not.
And yes, our many politicians, who have much to answer for but such interviews are usually a breezy affair for them, except if you are a Smriti Irani or a Supriya Sule – who have had to constantly explain why they are where they are and they do mean serious business.
Whether it is entertainment or politics or business – we explain why we deserve to be there, our choices, our decisions – because we have to battle the deeply ingrained biases that say that women should indeed be dressed from head to toe, in a sari, because, as the interviewer said, "that’s nice".