MP Scolds Woman For Not Wearing Bindi, Where Is Autonomy?

A BJP MP from Karnataka’s Kolar has paved the way for a new controversy with his critical remark during an event on Women’s Day. The BJP minister who was inaugurating an exhibition on Women's Day rebuked a woman for not wearing a bindi, sparking controversy on social media. It's 2023, and the irony is women are still being morally policed even on Women's Day.

"Wear a bindi first. Your husband is alive, isn’t he? You have no common sense," the BJP minister Muniswamy S is reportedly seen shouting at a woman in the video. Why does it matter to a politician if a woman wears a bindi or not? The video shows a woman entrepreneur running her own business but that seemed insignificant. All that mattered is her not wearing a bindi. Are women stripped of their agency to decide on wearing bindis as well? Besides, aren’t there much more significant matters, like prohibiting crimes and empowering women, that politicians, as lawmakers, have to focus on? Well, this is not the first time politicians have given sexist remarks but doesn't this have to end?

MP Scolds Woman For Not Wearing Bindi

To be clear, a woman wears a bindi right from the time she was a baby, so why should her marital status determine if she should continue to wear one or not? That being said, the choice to wear a bindi is completely a woman's, regardless of her marital status or beliefs. It’s a personal choice, and no one, including a woman’s spouse or family member, has the right to insist that she wear one.

There are no laws in the Indian Constitution that mandate a woman to wear a bindi. So why is society so obsessed with "ek chutki sindoor and a bindi?" Patriarchy has always equated bindis with culture, tradition, religion, and social norms. The whole concept of forcing a woman to wear sindoor on her forehead is to brand her "married," or, in other words, a signal that shouts, "she belongs to a man." According to old wives' tales, women wearing sindoor are integral to ensuring their husbands' long lives. Basically, in patriarchal societies, it all comes down to the benefits of men. Women are forced to do numerous things for men and their well-being, while men just get a free pass.

The obsession is so crazy that women need to wear a bindi—not just any bindi, but a big red one. A black bindi or a decorative small one doesn’t cut it for patriarchy. Because only a big red bindi is bright enough to scream out loud that a woman is married. Bindi or any other symbol of marriage is supposed to be a personal choice. But then women asking for the right to choose for themselves doesn’t sit well with patriarchy. That means women have agency over themselves, and how will patriarchy let them have that?

Some women fancy wearing a bindi, some don't, and some wear it occasionally, all out of their own will. Because it is completely a woman’s personal choice. But when did our society ever leave women with a voice or choice of their own? Women are policed, literally, by everyone from their spouses to family members, neighbours, and strangers, all through their lives. Why is it that everyone feels an entitlement to comment, command, decide, and force what women have to wear?

Being a woman is all that's needed to be blamed, shamed, and judged in a patriarchal society. A man has the agency to yell at a random woman that she lacks common sense for not wearing a bindi, but women don’t have the agency to decide whether or not they want to wear one. Where are we heading as a society? Is this what we are going to leave behind for the future generation? After all, it's ek "chutki" sindoor so can we stop obsessing over it?

Suggested Reading: These 7 Sexist Remarks Faced By Indian Women Politicians Cannot Be Ignored