'Budget Like Dark Bride With Makeup.' What's It With Casual Colourism By Politicians?

Satish Punia bride remark is the latest in a long line of offensives our political leaders have spouted with impunity. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, referring to the recently presented Rajasthan budget, reportedly said it was "like a dark bride-to-be being taken to the beauty parlour to have her makeup done so she looks fair."

It is both amusing and infuriating that in a country where a large part of the population is not fair-skinned, a leader from the ruling party would expect to sound smart with a statement that is so deeply ">colourist. The predominance of Western beauty ideals that prize whiter skin tones over others continues to have a stranglehold over our sensibilities, even decades after colonialism ended.

Dark is detested and fair is favoured. Our society prides itself on this discrimination.

And to have a man feel entitled to weigh in with ridicule for women with darker skin tones? The extent to which patriarchy enables men to consider themselves authorised to disparage all other genders is surreal.

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The Indian political arena is still male-dominated and things don't seem to be looking up. According to the World Economic Forum's 2021 Global Gender Gap Index, India showed a poor and deteriorating performance in politics with female representation sliding from 23 percent to 9.1 percent.

The gender share is dangerously lopsided with men talking for, about and of women without having the legitimacy to do so.

Punia's comment is outrageously sexist and so are comments made every few days by male politicians. Between 2021 and 2022, the cheeks of Katrina Kaif, Kangana Ranaut and Hema Malini have been offered as reference points for the smooth roads ministers from various parties have promised citizens. Read here.

Every time a rape case is widely covered enough to get people talking, one can be assured a problematic remark reeking of misogyny from a politician will come tagging.

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How dare a politician use the power of his position to espouse to the public ideas that deride women?

Female bodies always become battlegrounds for the wars men fight. When we elect leaders to power, do we not assign them the responsibility to reshape public discourse in favour of equal development? Are they really deserving of their seats if they use them as platforms from where to reiterate regressive, sexist speech that women are trying so hard to fight?

Are politicians facing consequences for their unabashed sexism?

What compels our male politicians to make distasteful analogies that objectify women? Is it not a sign of their dismissive attitude towards half the electorate? Can we allow this culture to breed in decision-making circles where the present and future of the country are being decided?

Views expressed are the author's own.