Looking Back At The Stereotypes Dia Mirza Fought On Her Way To Motherhood

Dia Mirza child: Dia Mirza's son arrived in May this year, the actor announced on social media on Wednesday. Unbeknownst to this little "Zen master," as she has called him, his birth comes weathering a barrage of nasty attacks on his mother, as also the life-threatening medical complications she said she underwent.

Sharing a photo of her baby Avyaan Azaad Rekhi's fingers latched onto her own, the Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein actor wrote, "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."

Timely intervention and an emergency C-section later, her baby was born. Read here: 

💖🙏🏻💖 pic.twitter.com/iL6ioUGc15

— Dia Mirza (@deespeak) July 14, 2021

Back in April when Mirza, then only a couple months married to businessman Vaibhav Rekhi, announced her pregnancy with a baby bump photo, a large section of social media erupted in boorish criticism, questioning her morality. And for what? For exercising her agency as an adult, individual woman? Taking decisions on when, what, and how to embrace motherhood?

Striking Down Voyeurs And Trolls

When the initial flood of trolling was unleashed - with memes on the couple's "speed" of pregnancy, the alleged "reason" behind their nuptials - there was no comment from Mirza. But can a woman always wall off the slurs and flak coming her way, especially when their intensity is explosive, and the issue sensitive?

In a well-rounded answer to an inquisitive Instagram user, Mirza had calmly and quickly broken down the multiple aspects of her pregnancy. "We discovered we were going to have a baby while we were planning our wedding. So this marriage is not the result of pregnancy... There must never be any shame attached to this beautiful journey... As women we must always exercise our choice," she wrote.

With so many choices laid out in front of them - to choose motherhood, not choose it at all, go for single parenting, surrogacy, adoption, fostering - why must women subscribe to notions of the 'ideal' path society dictates to them? Are these anything but arbitrary reasonings offered to sustain patriarchy? To govern over women's bodies?

Trans icon and single mother Gauri Sawant &t=593s">says, "Mother hone ke liye uterus ki zaroorat nahi hai." Actor Kishwer Merchant, who stepped into motherhood later in life, believes "40 is the new 30."

The likes of them, Mirza and the countless other women taking the reins of their lives into their own hands - despite judgment from naysayers - are bringing down barriers and stereotypes. They are transforming and mainstreaming the meanings of motherhood, a significant step towards women finding equality and independence. More women will walk that path in years to come. Who'll stop them? Internet trolls? Nah, they don't stand a chance.

Views expressed are the author's own. 

Suggested Reading:

Dia Mirza Undergoes Appendectomy During Pregnancy: More About Appendicitis And Pregnancy

Dia Mirza names the baby Avyaan Azaad Rekhi

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

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