Dia Mirza Pregnancy Backlash: We Have A Chance To Redeem Ourselves

Dia Mirza son is here: Mirza announced the birth of her son Avyaan Azaad Rekhi on July 14. The actor revealed that her son was born prematurely on May 14 and is since being cared for by doctors and nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Remember the trolling that Dia Mirza was subjected to in April this year, when she announced her pregnancy? One can only hope that this announcement doesn't trigger a second round of abuse for the new mother, who already has a lot on her plate.

Mirza's premature delivery was caused by "a sudden appendectomy" during my pregnancy and a subsequent and very severe bacterial infection could have led to sepsis and proven to be life threatening.  She wrote that timely care and intervention by her doctor ensured the safe birth of her baby via an emergency C-section.

Not many will be able to understand Mirza's state of mind right now. To battle a serious infection that ends up threatening your life and that of your unborn child must have been both physically and mentally exhausting for her. The last thing she needs is distasteful social media commentary on the premature birth of her son, on the lines of what followed when she announced her pregnancy weeks after getting married.

Just what had triggered the troll brigade in April? That a grown woman had pre-marital sex? That her marriage followed her pregnancy, upsetting the traditional life cycle that adarsh Indian women are expected to follow? Mirza is not alone, Indian women have to deal with social scrutiny and oppression, both physical and verbal, when they reclaim their bodies and sexual agency, much to the disapproval of our patriarchal society.

Getting pregnant without being married, late pregnancies, early pregnancies, no pregnancy, remaining childless, having pre-marital sex or sex outside of marriage- these things still trigger our society and women end up paying the cost of simply wanting to live by their will.

Dia Mirza broke numerous stereotypes with her marriage and pregnancy, but she didn't deserve the hate she got for it.

Celebs are an easy target on social media, whose mental wellness is no one's concern. But this needs to change. No woman should have to endure trolling for making life choices based on her priorities and desires and instead of basing them on social norms.

The birth of Mirza's son is a great chance for social media to course correct this conversation. Can we refrain from trolling her once more?

Can we respect her privacy, her motherhood struggle and give her the mental peace that she deserves? What Dia Mirza and her son need are blessings and love, so that they can heal and feel better. Do we have it in us to ditch the temptation to crack "jokes" and be kind instead? We will know that for sure today.

The views expressed are the author's own.

Suggested Reading: 

She Broke Stereotypes. Now We Are Judging Dia Mirza for Not Doing More?

From Naming Her Child To Signing Films, Kareena Kapoor Can Do No Right By Troll Brigade

We Trolled A Baby, For His Name That He Didn't Pick

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