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Essay / The role of women in shaping the representation of Indian culture
Women play a vital role in shaping the representation of Indian culture. Even though they are part of this training, women have almost no opportunity to express their opinions or make suggestions, especially in a family context where families are mostly run according to patriarchal norms. The fact that women are monitored more than men is constant throughout the world. However, in the Indian context, this division of surveillance is stark and clear. Much of the surveillance in India has more to do with fears around women's sexuality and also the importance of women's virginity to the family's reputation. It is not just about ensuring the safety of a woman, but rather about saving the reputation of the entire family and therefore society in general. The weight of all this falls on the shoulders of women. (Puri, 1999) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay. Foucault's ideas about the appropriation of the body through self-surveillance are most useful when applied to middle-class women's narratives about their sexuality. (Duncan, 1994) In the book “Women, bodies, desire in postcolonial India: narratives of gender and sexuality” by Jyot Puri, most women feel sexually threatened by men, until adolescence. However, during adolescence and after becoming adults, most women express their struggle to be responsible and protect themselves from men. Therefore, women themselves take responsibility for their female bodies and make it a priority to keep it safe for the sake of their family's reputation. In order to understand the surveillance of the body, especially the female body, one must start observing from the beginning on how the female body of a newborn is viewed in India. Newborns are mostly given a 'milk-besan' bath from the very beginning in order to lighten their complexion and make them match the 'beauty standards' imposed by society at large. A newborn girl is never left naked because her vagina is associated with her “family reputation”. Newborn girls are often massaged, bathed, and diapered only by a caregiver or female family member. Considering the middle class family, elders advise baby girls not to use diapers as it leaves the skin around their private parts dark. This concern comes not from the rashes or the baby's overall health, but from the little girl's overall complexion and their best attempt to keep the little girl under beauty standards. As the little girl grows, body language is taught. it’s up to her to do it again in order to maintain societal standards. Young girls are often taught to laugh with their mouth closed while keeping their hand on it. They are taught, in the name of femininity, to blush and avoid eye contact. They are often encouraged to do household chores and avoid playing with young boys. And by all means, be the provider and have a pleasant personality in the family to be called as a “well-mannered woman” in the future. Additionally, in the context of how John Berger's "Way of Seeing" is about the gaze, men looking at women, while women watching themselves being observed, fits perfectly into the Indian family context. Women in Indian families are often expected to do all the work in order to be seen as successful and well-cultured women by the familypatriarchal. (Berger, 1972) Once the girl enters adolescence, additional lessons are imposed on her in dressing appropriately by ensuring that her bra straps and cleavage are hidden under her dress. An immense number of restrictions are placed on him to prevent him from having a conversation with the opposite sex. Adolescent girls are often subjected to moral surveillance in order to save their family's reputation. They are expected to take responsibility for upholding the reputation of their family or clan and often feel guilty for not living up to the rules of their clan or family. Once the girl enters in adulthood, she is then trained for marriage and is often scrutinized by the groom's potential families as being a worthy candidate for marriage. This examination begins with the girl's looks – her body shape, waist line, hair length and of course her complexion – to her cooking skills – the dishes she has learned to prepare, the number members of her family that she can welcome at home. the food cooked, her hygiene standards - on her ability to multitask - her social life, how she manages her academic or office work with her family time and caring responsibilities - and finally, on his cultural character - his behavior with adults and his attitude. towards marriage and her husband. His degrees are often seen as a form of developing the social reputation of the groom's family. Although currently in urban cities the qualification of a girl is in demand and is of utmost importance, not to understand her views and thoughts, likes and dislikes, but to understand how many hours she can be available for the groom's family and is often asked about managing professional and personal life. It often happens that women are asked to move their professional lives if the family has chosen a future groom for them. However, men are often not asked to relocate because, according to the Indian family, a stable and secure job is much more vital for a man than for a woman, whose professionalism and passion for work are often seen as a hobby. time she chose to maintain herself. busy until the moment when her real responsibility – that of carrying out her marital journey – arises. Reinforcing the supremacy of one sex over another reinforces its claim by again citing social norms. For reasons of morality and culture, women are often denied access to technology, especially technology that allows them to express their opinions. According to a study on “Connected Women” titled “Bridging the Gender Gap,” 3 billion people in low- and middle-income countries do not own a cell phone, including 1.7 billion women. This report clearly shows that almost two-thirds of unconnected women live in South Asia and East Asia. (Khan, 2017) In Gulbarga, a town in the state of Karnataka, my native region where my parents come from, the idea of banning cell phones is supported in order to protect girls from a “bad culture”. According to the local newspaper, 'Mathrubhumi' mobile phones provide space for privacy and independence, which will lead to problems for girls. Cell phones are therefore banned to prevent girls from getting into trouble. According to the people of Gulbarga, most of the elderly men, as the place is patriarchal, think that mobile phone should be allowed to girls only ideally after marriage, and that too, if the groom's family thinks it is necessary for the girl. Obviously, the same’.