scorecardresearch
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomeOpinionPoVEven Neha Dhupia doesn't get feminism. MTV Roadies proves it

Even Neha Dhupia doesn’t get feminism. MTV Roadies proves it

In MTV Roadies, Dhupia has a platform where she speaks about women empowerment. This makes it all the more important that she thinks before she speaks.

Follow Us :
Text Size:

Boycott Roadies was trending on Twitter in India a few days back, but not for the reasons one would expect (the stupidity, the shouting, the “tu banega Roadie” being the few). This time, it was to call out pseudo-feminism by the only female judge on the show, Neha Dhupia. At best, it was a moment not well-thought through. At worst, it dents the whole feminism movement.

A contestant on the immensely popular reality show MTV Roadies declared that he slapped his girlfriend after finding out that she cheated on him with five other men. Any sort of violence, especially against women, sparks anger. And this is exactly how the judges reacted. Dhupia, who looked visibly cross and rightfully so, began shouting at him (in true Roadies style). Her anger propelled her to a point where she even justified what the contestant’s girlfriend did. “It’s her choice”, were her exact words. And that is where Dhupia lost me.

The misuse of this phrase cannot be exaggerated. While it is a woman’s choice to do as she wishes, disloyalty never earns a pat on the back, but nor should it earn a slap on the face.


Also read: Bigg Boss, Splitsvilla and Roadies: Why are Indians glued to what they hate?


Same deed, different reaction

As this conversation began taking over Twitter, videos of Dhupia applauding a female contestant for doing exactly what the male contestant mentioned above also surfaced. Dhupia’s reaction, along with every other judge’s, was the polar opposite.

The stark contrast in the two reactions brings to light how the feminism movement is being misunderstood, and by consequence, mis-preached by many. The fight is not for a woman to be able to slap a man and get away with it, while a man is ostracised for doing the same. The fight is for equality.


Also read: Karan Johar’s Guilty on #MeToo will ring true if he stopped partying with Sajid Khan


Feminism, by definition

The Oxford dictionary defines feminism as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.” While a ‘pseudo-feminist’ is “a person that claims to be a feminist yet ignores the main point of feminism, equality.” Since equality of the sexes has made a debut in common discourse, the term ‘feminism’ has earned a bad reputation. To the point where big celebrities with influential clout like Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson and Madonna, have run away from the term like it’s the plague.

Feminism is not about misandry or male-bashing. That is pseudo-feminism. It is important for the movement, in the larger picture, to constantly call out those who are guilty of mixing the two. And that is what happened with Neha Dhupia.

In a time where most Bollywood celebrities have remained mum on any issue that may derive backlash, Dhupia has repeatedly made her stance on feminism clear. She has a platform where she chooses to speak about women empowerment, which makes it much more important that she thinks before she speaks. People don’t wait for half-a-second before writing someone off for one mistake. And that is the benefit of doubt I would like to give her. Along with a message that she really should be doing a better job of using the platform she has because like it or not, too many people watch Roadies.

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

5 COMMENTS

  1. It’s funny. one celeb says something about women, relate that to feminism and tarnish the entire ideology. That too in a country like India where domestic violence , patriarchy and sexism is so prevalent. [half the population still believes a girls clothing causes rape]. **1. When did she identify herself as a feminist??** can we use the same logic and call all the men misogynist. (Don’t say there are no misogynist men in India). Feminism address a lot of issue that all sexes face but you guys conveniently ignore all that cherry pick the ones suites your agenda. I just went and checked her insta profile and the post during that time. Did you see the vile and filthy comments threatening, slut shaming, talking disgusting things abt her family…. and PEOPLE LIKE THIS HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT ONE STATEMENT SHE MADE and use that to bash feminism. people with such a misogynistic and sexist behavior?? You just are waiting for one thing that you can use against women when they voice for equality right?? and btw how many more comments from feminist say that they don’t support her narrative . And where were you people few days back when a video of a man thrashing a women was circulating in social media and people made memes out of it. Article by a typical Indian patriarch who can’t stand that women raise their voice against sexism and equality. A disgrace by the print

    • Umm… he didn’t ‘bash feminism’, he bashed Neha Dhupia for misrepresenting feminism. Not sure how criticizing one woman for saying something dumb makes him misogynistic or sexist. Perhaps the overuse of these terms has rendered them meaningless for you.

  2. The fact that she was cheating on 5 boyfriends was being proved right and because he slapped he was being felt neglected and there was some problem with him. On other side they praise girls who slap boys and then feel this is women empowerment. Equality is both sides

  3. its high time we stopped giving importance to the nit wits that these celebrities are…..most of them don’t have an original point of view because they do not really understand what things are about…
    they should be given the lime light only because of their looks, or for any acting capability that they may have….their opinions on other aspects are more often than not dumb….and do not deserve any importance

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular