Ranbir Kapoor "Dislikes" Alia Bhatt Raising Voice: Women's Rage Suppressed By Patriarchy

Actor Alia Bhatt recently gave an insight into her personality as she spoke about her seven vices and her opinion on the seven deadly sins (lust, envy, pride, wrath, sloth, greed, and gluttony). While speaking of wrath, Bhatt shared that she feels anger when dealing with incompetence. She revealed that she tries very hard to control her anger because her husband, Ranbir Kapoor, dislikes it if she "raises her voice."

"I have to try very hard to control my anger because my husband does not like when my voice goes above this decibel because he thinks it's not fair and it's important to be kind even when you’re unhappy," said the Gangubai Kathiawadi actor. But why should women remain calm and kind even if certain situations or people make them unhappy and angry? Why do they have to put up with all of it with a smile on their face?

Ranbir Dislikes Alia Raising Voice

While anger is a common emotion for everyone, only men get to express it and women get to suppress it in patriarchal societies. Traditionally, women are "glorified" as personifications of calmness, serenity, tranquilly, kindness, and forgiveness. Women are raised to be silent, almost voiceless beings, thus oppressing their basic right to expression.

Patriarchy is threatened by women's anger because if more women raise their voices against oppression, how will it be able to maintain its control? So, patriarchy glorifies women as the epitome of compassion and warmth in an attempt to silence them. Angry women are detested and shunned because they dare to step outside of the conventional social standards for women. They are labelled "arrogant," "hysterical," "witch," "lunatic," etc. But why shouldn’t women dare to step out of the box? Why shouldn’t they have the privilege to express their anger?

A lot of women around us are angry, even if they might not visibly appear to be so. Most women don’t express it due to the social conditioning that prevents them from releasing their frustrations. The woman you saw at the supermarket might have been angry because she’s not receiving any support with parenting; the woman you rode the elevator with to work could have been angry because a male colleague was given the promotion that she deserved; and the woman in the metro could have been angry because a random pervert was harassing her.

But all these women could do was express their anger in silence because they were not "allowed" to express their anger loudly. They might want to lash back at people who take them for granted because of their gender or scream out loud at a later point to release all the negative energy, but no, society doesn’t "allow them."

Women are expected to hold on to their saint-like calmness because they are women. Yeah, just because they were born into the so-called "minority gender," they are expected to be submissive.

While anger in men is lauded as a powerful and masculine trait, it’s detested when women express it at home, at work, or anywhere else. Basically, women aren’t "allowed" to showcase their anger because it’s "unfeminine." But isn’t it unfair to expect women to suppress their anger, a natural emotion? Why should society at large frown upon women who express anger in situations that offend them? When is society going to realise that women’s anger is justified?

Since childhood, girls have been taught to suppress their anger because it’s unfeminine and will make them unlikeable. Seldom are girls taught that their anger is valid and that they need to be angry if that’s what it takes to handle certain situations. Anger in women could be productive, protective, and constructive at times. Bottling up all the anger will only lead to stress, anxiety, and depression. Do women have to suppress their anger at the cost of their health just because society expects them to?

Getting angry for the right reasons is always justified, regardless of gender. If anger is going to aid in shattering the patriarchal blocks and climbing up the ladder to success, women should get angry. If releasing their anger will help relieve stress, women should get angry. If anger will act as armour, women need to get angry! If anger is the weapon to vanquish patriarchy, women need to embrace it!

Suggested Reading: This Women’s Day Let’s Normalise And Validate Women’s Anger

Views expressed are the authors own. Image Credits: Screengrab via Reddit Vice