Shobhaa De referred to Nobel winner Malala Yousafzai as the “chick of chicks”
Shobhaa De
Mumbai: In a recent column, writer Shobhaa De referred to Nobel winner Malala Yousafzai as the “chick of chicks”. And although De has her finger on the pulse of the country’s youth, her phrasing hasn’t gone down well with feminists.
For instance, one blogger rants on Facebook: “Because all that social right activism, campaigning on education and winning the Nobel Prize was done by a CHICK”. And as any social rage saga goes, the thread is never-ending on the debate of the usage.
And let’s face it, we have all at least had that one friend who takes offence to not only the word “chick” but several other references including “babe”, “dame”, “broad” and even the flattering “princess”. This is because these words come with larger implications and are mostly a “man’s view of a woman”.
Meanwhile, writers also agree that the word “chick” is something that they would stay away from, especially if the subject is not on the lighter side and definitely, not in reference to someone like Malala.
“Chick is a word I would not use in a serious context in my work; especially if I was writing about someone like Malala. The word is considered demeaning and derogatory owing to the fact that it comes from man’s view of a woman and often trivialises the woman. Having said that, I think Shobhaa De is free to use what she wants,” says city writer Chitra Viraraghavan.
De does find more support among other writers. Malini Agarwal of Miss Malini, insists, “I think its silly that people take offense to a word, instead of looking at the larger context. What’s important is the sentiment of the work and if that is positive, then a word and its usage becomes irrelevant. Moreover, De, in her writing, always tries to stay trendy and young. People should save their uproar for more oppressive things in than just words.”
While Malini’s assertion does sound rational, feminists have always believed that misogynistic language and the objectification of women are as big crimes as rape and female foeticide.
And that is why Ira Dubey’s question on the relevance of the usage of the word in mainstream media becomes significant. After asserting that she would never use words like “babe” and “chick” in her writing, she adds, “Chick is a slang, just like how chokra is.
I don’t think it’s the word per se that’s the problem. But I do think that De as a journalist herself and the publication should have considered the standards they would be setting.”
( Source : dc )
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