I have a large wardrobe. I spend several minutes every day fretting about what to wear. Don’t let that fool you into thinking I’m a sharp dresser. I’m not. But I have to choose. There are work clothes (shirts, pants, jeans, long skirts); out-of-town work clothes (kurtas with sleeves, shalwaars); party clothes (sarees, sleeveless or low-cut tops); work clothes that can be worn to evenings out (jackets, shrugs); winter clothes; wedding/festival clothes (satin, brocade).
Anita Roy tells me she is surprised that nobody has thought it fit to write about how girls getting felt up in a bus might be linked to female foeticide or honour killings. Being a ‘slut’ would imply promiscuity but in India, girls aren’t even allowed to have a boyfriend (singular), or are killed if they marry for love.
People would ask, ‘Isse kya hoga?’ (What will this accomplish?). The answer is always the same: Who can say? And how do we judge efficacy anyway? Unlike hunger strikes undertaken to press for a new law, or a demonstration calling for the arrest of a politically-connected murderer, the success of a protest against blaming victims for sexual assault is very hard to measure. If we look at the number of people supporting it on Facebook and the thousands who have pledged to join Slutwalk, it is already a success. Will it stop Delhi’s male population from behaving badly? If you ask young men in Delhi, no. Kuber Sharma believes that most men will just follow the ladies, mobile cameras in hand. He thinks that rather than declaring a war on men, Slutwalk needs to engage them in some kind of dialogue. So perhaps Slutwalk will not succeed. Who can say? But sometimes, we can change our world just by living on our own terms. Sunayana Roy says she has felt her own neighbourhood grow inured to the sight of a woman dressed in short or tight or unconventional clothing every day. After a while, people just don’t notice. “The day that happened,” she says, “I felt a sense of achievement and liberation that I cannot describe!” Yet, as women’s experiences in Toronto and other Western cities show, people being used to women wearing short clothing doesn’t necessarily change attitudes when it comes to violence; the malaise runs very deep. That is why Shubhashish Nichani, a journalist who grew up near Delhi, thinks that this is not the right time for a desi Slutwalk. “The main problem is that Indian men look at women as commodities. That has to change. Slutwalk should be the last nail in the coffin [of patriarchy], not the first.” Anita Roy agrees. If she was in London, she would have supported Slutwalk unreservedly. “In India,” she says, “Slutwalk has connotations of being only for the young, urban and beautiful people.” The ‘classist’ nature of the protest is something that’s causing discomfort even amongst young, urban and fairly liberal citizens. There are jokes on Twitter about how it should perhaps be called ‘SelectCitiSlutWalk’, a reference to Select Citywalk, one of Delhi’s biggest shopping malls, full of expensive brands and moneyed families. So, perhaps it is true that Slutwalk Delhi will be pushed by privileged young women who have not suffered much because of their gender, but are outraged to discover that they can be subjected to violence and humiliation, and that the clothes they wear will be used as justification. That they should be outraged is also true. But violence comes in degrees. The kind of brutality we read about — teenager blinded while fighting off rapists; mother-of-two set on fire for reporting rape — makes the freedom-to-dress-as-we-like issue look like a petty tantrum, definitely not very high up on the list of priorities for women’s rights activists. But let us not make the mistake of dismissing young anti-blame, anti-shame activists. There is nothing more putrescent than to allow half the human race to assault and humiliate the other half, and then blame the victims for bringing it on. Violence against women is a human problem, and it cuts across class and race. So perhaps the new feminist discourse will be rooted in this: This battle to undo the hundreds of big and small violent acts against the bodies of our sisters, this struggle to live without fear. The Besharmi Morcha might be a small reactionary wave. It might not lead to anything. But I see it as a point on a continuum. Organisations like Jagori address many kinds of violence against women. There’s BNP, which is more focused on sexual-social violence. There was Pink Chaddi. Now there’s Slutwalk. We are all doing what we can. Let us not piss on the single spark just because it is not already a great consuming fire. But is it ephemeral? Will it sustain? Isse kya hoga? Who can say?
(This story appears in the 15 July, 2011 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
Slut Walk is NOT about clothes. As a feminist, it surprises me how much discomfort there has been within the women's movement regarding Slut Walk. Some feminists are uncomfortable with the use of the word 'slut', with the overwhelming focus on urban issues, and with the silence on other forms of violence (e.g. sex selection, domestic violence, etc). One the other hand, some of us think that it is not necessarily an urban issue, because in our work on sexuality issues across rural India also we find that women who break sexual norms in rural areas are also called names ('slut', 'ranxx', 'vaishya', etc) and are penalised and face violence for this. It is not a new or a modern phenomenon; it has been a part of patriarchal societies for ages. Breaking of sexual norms can be wide-ranging - from having same-sex partners, to having multiple partners, choosing to be out of the institution of marriage, inter-caste/class/religion relationships, etc etc etc. This is really NOT about clothes. And Slut Walk is a good time to reaffirm and strengthen feminist politics, especially since so many youngsters across the country are raring to go!
on Jul 5, 2011Its the time of era where the clothes you wear dont alert people unless and until you are totally insane. Now the definition of insane will change with the cultural and geographical situations. Well.......talking about provocation....it always is the result gender difference and incompetant thinking pattern of the dwelling men.......its all over......its like the jungle rule ....you have to be carefull while moving thats it.....and about the clothes finally....you wear what you like the most and which still co-ordinates with the surroundings.....revealing some part of your body doesnt mean your provocating but revealing in the wrong place constantly is provocating.
on Jul 5, 2011The slut walk per se seems rather alien to the Indian psyche, so well described by Annie -most ladies would hesitate to come out in the open and defend their right to wear what prudes would label as 'provocative' clothes. The real issue is this medieval mindset that prevails in entire North India, women in skimpy clothes or fully concealed in burqa do not feel safe. The whole absurd issue of honour killing, which cannot be justified, is justified by relatives of brutes who killed young girls under the pretext of saving honour. We have a long way to go, to become civilised. Sad.
on Jul 4, 2011In this whole debate about Besharmi Morcha being for rich girls rather than "real" Indian women, I never hear anyone talk about FOREIGN women, for whom the streets of Delhi or any other city or town in India can be extremely cruel--especially if they dress in what they would consider "normal clothes" back home. I have spoken to many Americans, Europeans and Africans (both white and black) who have been so thoroughly disgusted during their travels in India by the behaviour of men and the indifference of the authorities that they've vowed never to return. Wonder what the impact of this has been on Indian tourism? The country's ability to draw talented academics or contract workers? Business investment? I'd venture to say it's a bigger problem than corruption, and I'm not exaggerating.
on Jul 4, 2011Read the complete analysis with various pros and cons. For westerners 'slut walk' may be an easy cake walk. India is a different country of people having different mind sets over women who are looked up as commodities. But as you said 'who can say?' this may be a beginning of a revolution ?
on Jul 4, 2011Nice, Annnnnnnnyyyyy :D
on Jul 4, 2011Thank you Annie for writing this, i m not that good with words and i want to express gratitude , Thank you.
on Jul 4, 2011