Topic > The role of women in shaping the representation of Indian culture

Women play a fundamental role in shaping the representation of Indian culture. Even though they are part of this training, women hardly have the opportunity to express their opinion or make suggestions, especially in a family context since families are mostly run according to patriarchal norms. The fact that women are surveilled more than men is a constant phenomenon across the world. However, in the Indian context this division of surveillance is clear and clear. Much of the surveillance in India has more to do with fears related to women's sexuality and also the importance of women's virginity to the family's reputation. It is not just about keeping a single woman safe, but is more likely to save the reputation of the entire family and therefore society at large. The weight of all this falls on the shoulders of women. (Puri, 1999) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Foucault's insight into the appropriation of the body enacted through self-surveillance is most useful when applied to middle-class women's narrative about their sexuality. (Duncan, 1994) In the book “Women, Body, Desire in Post-Colonial India: Narratives of Gender and Sexuality” by Jyot Puri, most women feel sexually threatened by men, up until the time of adolescence. However, in adolescence and after becoming adults, most women express their struggle to be responsible and protect themselves from men. Therefore, women themselves take responsibility for their female bodies and make it a priority to keep them safe for the sake of their family's reputation. To understand the surveillance of the body, especially a female body, one needs to start looking at how the female body of a newborn baby is viewed from the beginning in India. Most newborn girls are given a "milk-besan" bath right from the start to lighten their skin tone and make them fit into the "beauty standard" set by society at large. A newborn girl is never left naked as her vagina becomes associated with her "family reputation". Newborns are often massaged, bathed, and diapered only by a caregiver or female family member. If we consider the middle class family, little girls are advised by elders not to use diapers because they leave the skin around their private parts dark. This concern is not about the rashes or the overall health of the baby, but about the overall skin tone of the little girl and their best attempt to maintain the little girl up to beauty standards. As the child grows, body language is taught. to her again to maintain social norms. Girls are often taught to laugh with their mouth closed while holding their hand over it. They are taught, in the name of femininity, to blush and avoid eye contact. They are often encouraged to do household chores and avoid playing with boys. And by all means be the provider and have a pleasant personality in the family to be called a “well-mannered woman” in the future. Also, in the context of John Berger talking about the gaze, “Way of Seeing” says that men look at women, while women look at themselves being looked at, fits exactly into the Indian family context. Often in Indian families, women are expected to do all the work so as to be considered successful and cultured women by the patriarchal family. (Berger, 1972) Once the girlenters adolescence, extra lessons are imposed on her to dress appropriately by ensuring that her bra straps and cleavage are hidden under her dress. There are a large number of restrictions that are imposed on her to prevent her from having a conversation with the opposite sex. Adolescent girls are often subjected to moral scrutiny to save the family's reputation. They are expected to take responsibility for maintaining the reputation of their family or clan and are often made to feel guilty for not living up to the clan's or family's expectation. Once the girl enters adulthood, she is then trained to marry and is often vetted by the families of potential grooms to be a worthy candidate for marriage. The exam starts from the girl's appearance – her build, waist line, hair length and of course her skin tone – up to her cooking skills – the dishes she has learned to prepare, the number of family members she has can take home. cooked food, her hygiene standards - her ability to multitask - her social life, how she manages her job at university or in the office with family time and responsibilities - and finally, how culturally driven she is - her behavior with adults and her attitude towards marriage and her husband. His educational qualifications are often considered a form of developing social fame for the groom's family. Although currently, in urban cities, a girl's qualification is required and is of utmost importance, not to understand her perspective and thoughts, her likes and dislikes, but to understand how many hours she can be available for the groom's family and they are often asked about managing their work life and personal life. Many times, women are asked to relocate their work life, if there is a potential groom that the family has chosen for her. However, men are often not asked to move because, according to the Indian family, having a stable and secure job is far more vital for a man than for a woman, whose professionalism and passion for work are often regarded as a hobby he took up to support himself. busy until the moment her actual responsibility emerges – that is, managing her marital journey smoothly. Reinforcing the supremacy of one gender over another strengthens its claim by again citing social norms. For moral and cultural reasons, women are often denied access to technology, especially technology that allows them to express their opinion. According to research conducted in “Connected Women” entitled “Bridging the Gender Gap”, 3 billion people in low- and middle-income countries do not own mobile phones, of which 1.7 billion are women. It is clear from this report that almost two-thirds of unattached women live in South and East Asia. (Khan, 2017) In Gulbarga, a city in the state of Karnataka, my native place where my parents are from, the idea of ​​banning mobile phones is supported to protect girls from becoming “bad”. According to the local newspaper, “Mathrubhumi” cell phones offer a space of privacy and independence which will bring trouble to girls and therefore cell phones are banned to keep girls away from trouble. According to locals in Gulbarga, mostly elderly men, since the place is patriarchal, they think that mobile phone should be allowed only to girls ideally after marriage, even if the groom's family feels that it is necessary for the girl. Obviously the same rule does not apply to boys as they are expected to be independent and in contact with the outside world in the name of professional growth. In this’.