Neetu Singh. Madhuri Dixit. Juhi Chawla. Kajol. Sonali Bendre: All talented and successful actresses who retired from the Bollywood scene soon after they got married (though some are starting to go slowly back into the acting field.)
There's an undeniable double standard in Bollywood when it comes to married women and acting careers. The idea that it is "normal" and "proper" for a woman to quit acting once she's married is reflective of the pervasive sexist double standards that exist- double standards that often go unnoticed and un-commented upon because they are so entrenched within the culture, often wrapped within a comfortable package that has considerable social and moral/religious pull (a woman's primary "duty"' is her home- there's no need for her to work to earn money when her husband can do it for her, a married woman cannot possibly act in roles alongside actors when she, of course, "belongs" to her husband, it's not proper for a married woman to go around dancing with, kissing other men even if the relationship is purely cinematic and fictional and for the purpose of a movie, etc.)
And of course, these arguments go only one way; no one thinks twice of married Bollywood actors. Only for women is marriage seen incompatible with an acting career.
And it's not only when it comes to marriage and acting do these double standards exist:
- Typical female roles in films: damsel in distress, hysterical/ perpetually weeping mother, etc. (All of these are, if you notice, ancillary, subsidiary
roles, - even the leading actress is only a supporting character for the actor)
- Averge ages of actors vs. actresses: Actresses are often very young. The age of an actress is very important- not so for an actor. It's common to find actors in their
forties still taking on major roles- Shahrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, for example.
Food for thought- Here's an interesting blog about this topic:
http://laksays.blogspot.com/2006/09/why-do-actresses-quit-after-getting.html
Let us know what you think.
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Stephanie Harris
said:
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... Dude. This article is amazing. I really like how you exploited the differences between men and women. Even in the actual Bollywood films them self there is such a HUGE double standard between men and women. You would never see a woman rescuing a man from a dangerous situation. I honestly think this is contributing to the current situation in India right now. I mean in so many parts of India women are looked down upon if they work. Even if my own mother works my father dissaproves of it, saying a woman should only work at home by cooking and cleaning. Call it sexist but I'm glad someone (you) is finally exposing this twisted stuff man. The media gives us all the ideas about how our life is supposed to be. The media is seen as perfect and so many people try to mimic it. In addition to that with India producing the most movies out of any other country (800 and rising each year) its no surprise that women are staying at home and only doing house work. Sigh. Amazing writing though.  |
