Ananya Panday Faced Casual Sexism; Why Do Men Think It Apt To Body-Shame Women?

 Women in society are constantly subjected to deeply established prejudice and discrimination based on gender, from the gender pay gap to sexism. Everyone has encountered sexism in their daily lives, whether they are ordinary girls or Bollywood actors. Some chose to remain silent about the problem, while others took a stand and brought it to light. In a similar spirit, actor Ananya Pandey spoke out about sexism in Bollywood, describing how she was subjected to casual sexism during her early days in the industry.

Ananya Panday, the daughter of popular actor Chunky Panday, made her Bollywood debut in Karan Johar's Student Of The Year 2. She has frequently been at the centre of the Hindi film industry's nepotism debate. In a recent interview, the star kid said that realising her dream of becoming an actor was not simple.

Ananya Panday faced casual sexism in the initial days

During her interview on The Ranveer Show, she talked about how people told her she needed to improve her body and how it affected her. She shared, "As soon as I started working, people started saying things like, you should get a boob job or change anything about your face. And it's said so casually and without straight words that you don't always pick it up. 'Just fill up a bit more,' they'd urge. 'Put on some weight.'"

The actor went on to ask, in response to the sexist suggestions, "Is that what people truly care about? Is that what I'm reduced to? Is there anything about me that is more important than my waist or chest size? The worst thing you can do to someone is judging them based on their physical appearance. "

Every woman like Ananya has been subjected to these kind of comments from either family, friends or random strangers. Sometimes, it's even wrote off as humour. For how long must we women tolerate body-shaming in the garb of humour? Why is it that men think it is appropriate to comment on our bodies?

From her academic qualifications to her Instagram captions and clothing sense to her walk and every tiny thing she does, the actor is frequently subjected to trolling on social media.

According to the actor, people don't realise how much hard labour is involved in the film industry. Instead, everyone just discusses the glamorous part of it. She explained, "Most people only look at the glossy side of the movie-making profession. It is glossy on the outside, but it is really hard on the inside."

Acting is "emotionally and physically exhausting," she said towards the end. "It's difficult because there are so many things to deal with, such as insecurities and pressure," she continued.

Suggested Reading: 10 Dialogues From Hindi Films That Reek Of Sexism

Panday is not the only actor in Bollywood who has been subjected to sexism; other actors have also encountered bias and spoken out against it. Actors such as Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Diya Mirza, and Deepika Padukone have shared their stories. In a candid interview with Film Companion, Anushka Sharma remarked, "Girls are basically expected to be good-looking, appear great, and be interesting enough for a guy to be interested in you in a film."

Deepika Padukone, on the other hand, had to deal with sexism at the start of her career. The actor stated in an interview with the Evening Standard, "There were a number of things I was advised do. Do beauty pageants to get a boob job. They believed it was the proper approach to get noticed by a Bollywood director or producer. It could be a more convenient way to achieve your goals. But I've never been that person; I've always gone with my instinct," she explained.

Media has reduced women to be mere eye-candy for ages; it still operates from a viewpoint which objectifies women and focuses on their bodies which reflects in the sexist dialogues, film plots and the shoddily written punchlines in comedy shows based on a woman's body.  Women are criticised for going under the knife and also for not getting cosmetic surgery. Their bodies are constantly scrutinised.

Why do we put women's bodies under such scrutiny? Are women not humans with emotions? Why don't we take into consideration the effect body-shaming has on them?

These are the subtle, undetectable ways that biases against women operate. However, whether a common woman watching a movie on her sofa or a popular actor filming on set, no woman deserves to have her body questioned, to feel insecure about her own body, or to be pressured to meet any beauty standard.

Views expressed are the author's own