Is Deepika Really 'Empowering Women' In Her Latest Video?

Feminism is something world is going gaga about and naturally it gets attention from everyone as it is one of the major issues in the society. In attempt to address, Vogue India released a video with Deepika on “Empower Women” message that has buzzed social media. In this video Deepika talks of freedom of ‘Choices’. (Watch the Video Here)

Here is response to My Choice video by Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, where she talks about “His Choices” in the wake of “Her Choices.” Some of the choices listed by her are important, some extreme. But when it has all boiled down to absolute “individualistic decisions” and War Of Choices, humanity would suffer inevitably.

• If you have choice to wear whatever you want, he has a choice to wear whatever he wants too. Do not call him outdated if he doesn’t give in to your fashion sense. It’s HIS choice.

• You have a choice to be size zero or size fifty he has a choice too. Don’t call him baldy if he has a receding hairline. Don’t call him fat ugly old useless man and refuse to take him to dinners because you feel embarrassed. Don’t push him to join Gym/VLCC just because you want him to reduce. It’s HIS Choice.

• You have a choice to marry or not to marry. He has a choice to marry the one he wants to and say No if he doesn’t want to. He can marry a wealthy chic because he thinks it would make his life better just the way women marry rich men. He can marry a fair beautiful slim girl just like women want tall good looking guys. He can dump whosoever he wants. It’s HIS Choice.

• You have a choice to work or not to work. No one should dictate that. Well, he has a choice to earn or not to earn too. He has a choice to go for a job or sit at home too. Do not call him a loser if he doesn’t earn much. It’s HIS Choice.

• If you have a choice to have sex before marriage, or outside marriage, or not have sex at all, he has a choice to all that too. Do not file a rape case on him if you had sex before marriage and later he did not marry you. Do not file a dowry and domestic violence and physical and mental cruelty case on him if he has sex outside marriage. Do not call him impotent and cry he ruined your life if he does not have sex at all. Do not get him arrested if he is a Gay and loves men. After all it’s HIS Choice.

• If it’s your choice to love temporarily or lust forever, it is his choice too. It is his choice to love you temporarily and move on when he finds someone better, someone hotter than you. If you can dump whoever you want, he can too. It’s his choice. Don’t call him pervert, desperate. He can have lust.

• You are my choice. I am not your privilege. Ahhh well …you are also his choice. He is also not your privilege that he would behave exactly the way you want him to. The way he wants to be is his choice. Stop changing him because he is not your privilege. And if he refuses to change according to you It’s His Choice.

• If it’s your choice to come home at 4am or 6pm; it’s his choice too to come whenever he wants. Don’t be upset and presume he is screwing women around while he might be slogging in office just to make sure you can afford a holiday this year at a foreign location. If you can have work, he can have work too and he can choose not to come home because it’s HIS Choice.

• If he goes out and chats with other women, do not call him a flirt and other names. It is his choice to interact with anyone who he wants. Talking to whom, at what time, with how many, for how long it’s HIS Choice.

• If it’s your choice to come home at 4am or 6pm; it’s his choice too to come whenever he wants. Don’t be upset and presume he is screwing women around while he might be slogging in office just to make sure you can afford a holiday this year at a foreign location. It’s HIS Choice.

• It is your choice to have his baby or not. Give him also a choice whether he should have a baby from you or someone else. Also, when you decide to get married to him but have someone else’s baby, do not beg for maintenance for that baby from him after a paternity fraud. To not pay for that baby It’s HIS Choice.

• You are my choice. I am not your privilege. Ahhh well …you are also his choice. He is also not your privilege that he would behave exactly the way you want him to. The way he wants to be is his choice. Stop changing him because he is not your privilege. And if he refuses to change according to you It’s His Choice.

Ms Deepika Padukone if it is your choice to open the bra strap in a video that’s supposed to reach millions of young girls you need to make a better choice to what you want to tell them. Doctors are already worried of rising numbers of teen pregnancy. You cannot preach choice without taking responsibility of those choices. We are human beings and our choices cannot be summed up in a 2 minute video. Because life is lived off Youtube and every choice has an action or reaction to it!

Miss Deepika, Size, Sexual preferences, Clothes might be feminism to you. Real women in villages or even cities face
issues with basic education, girl child abortions, dowry and what not. Women needs empowerment for basic rights not
with sexual choices. Feminism isn’t about preferring women over men, It is about equality.

Article By Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj Exclusively For The Logical Indian.
Deepika is an independent journalist and a documentary filmmaker.