Breaking the Bias: Women Who Rise Up And Walk Away From Social Stereotypes

For Women, it is not easy to challenge social stereotypes and live life on their terms. But time and again we come across women who take these stereotypes head on and carve their own path, based on what they want, rather than what society wants them to do. And gladly, we are seeing an increasing number of women who don’t let society decide what is the right age for a woman to marry, the profession most suited for them, the clothes that work for their “body type” or don’t and the limits of their desires and aspirations.

To celebrate such dynamic women, Delhi’s premium shopping centre Select CITYWALK recently launched a campaign “Rise Up”, bringing together four achievers from different walks of life. The campaign features National Award winning Actress Suhasini Mulay, entrepreneur Ankita Jain- who co-founded GoPaisa, fashion influencer and body positivity advocate Sakshi Sindhwani and Karina Aggarwal, who serves as Director at Gigglewater Beverage Concepts.

As part of their series of seasonal campaigns, RiseUp aspires to bring to fore, real life heroes and achievers who have risen above the norm to be an inspiration for all. Each collection is a curation of those who have inspired, achieved and raised our benchmarks, stylishly.

While Mulay challenged age-related stereotypes in the entertainment industry by turning into an actor at the age of 40, she also broke the notion that women should ideally get married by the age of 25, by tying the knot at 61. Even in this day and age, women are stereotyped as poor money managers- but women like Jain are challenging this idea, heading a fintech company, nonetheless.

Sindhwani is one of the biggest fashion influencers on Instagram today, having also walked the ramp at Lakme Fashion Week. She has proved that a woman’s body type doesn’t get to decide what she should wear or what looks good on her. And then there is Aggarwal, who carved her own niche in the male-dominated alco-beverage industry in India.

So how did they do it? By taking their own leap of faith to chase their dreams and ignore the critiques and naysayers. With their fierce attitude, these women are paving the path for millions to break free of what society has to say and live on their own terms. The concept of Rise Up is a representation of all women who shop or are a part of Select CITYWALK. Who are beyond just women who shop; rather have a unique story of their own achievements. Featuring real people to show the inclusivity of fashion and underline the unique personal style of each personality, this campaign has been beautifully conceptualised, created and styled.

Each of these women proves that no job is out of our league, no dream is out of reach and no barrier is big or strong enough to hold us. They choose to love, work and live for themselves and they do not internalise guilt for not matching social standards. The barriers that these women break are significant because their journeys tell the society what all women can achieve when they are not weighed down by norms.

The article has been published in collaboration with Select CITYWALK for their  #RISEUP campaign.