Ghar Me Kaam Karo, Skirt Pehen Ke Khelo Mat: Can We Stop Saying This To Our Girls Now?
It exposes Indian society's limited understanding of the limitless capabilities that a girl possesses. Secondly, it proves how difficult it is for them to visualise girls playing any form of sports outside.
Indian Girls at Olympics are leaving no stone unturned to make the country proud with their performance at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics 2020. From Mirabai Chanu to PV Sindhu and now women's hockey team, our unstoppable female athletes have brought glory to the nation. Years of hard work is what has powered their performances at the Games. But tough competition wasn't the only deterrent they had to overcome, in order to succeed. In fact, financial issues, frequent injuries and intense training sessions were just some of the problems our Olympic girls grappled with. The social stigma around women pursuing sports, that runs deep in India, presented a tough challenge too .There were people who, instead of boosting their morale and helping them kickstart their career, questioned them when they wore short skirts to play the game of their choice.
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"Ladkiyan ghar mein kaam karti hain, skirt pehenke khelti nahi" is one comment so many of these young sportswomen had to hear. Indian hockey team captain Rani Rampal too recalled how her parents had reservations against her wearing a skirt, to play hockey. Be it from parents or society, such comments expose our orthodox approach towards women pursuing sports.
Firstly, it exposes Indian society's limited understanding of the limitless capabilities that a girl possesses. Secondly, it proves how difficult it is for conservative people to let girls step out of their homes, to pursue passion over gendered duties. Thirdly, it highlights people's obsession with policing girls for wearing what they feel is comfortable for a sport. Fourthly, it objectifies girls and reiterates how their body can be enticing for some men inviting trouble for them.
How can Indian society belittle a girl's ambitions citing clothes as an issue? When will we start choosing comfort over a skewed idea of modesty? Also, who decides what's modest and immodest clothing for a woman in the first place? What are the parameters for the same? When will this objectification of female bodies end? Is it fair to force someone to sit and work at home just because they belong to a particular gender?
We hope there comes a time when families and society rise above trivial issues mentioned above and focus more on celebrating the Olympians and pledge to not let their mindset stop a talent from achieving its full potential.
Hopefully, soon a talented athlete like PV Sindhu wouldn't call herself "lucky" to get the freedom to wear whatever she wants. Let's wait for the time when Olympians' winning story doesn't include an episode of moral policing that they had to overcome.
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