A classic case of sexism

Former showbiz stars and newly elected parliamentarians Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan got savagely trolled for the clothes they wore to Parliament. While they were dressed decorously and sane elements of society would agree that there was nothing wrong with their clothes, it seems that women from the world of entertainment are subjected to ceaseless sartorial surveillance and scrutiny, no matter where they go.

Says veteran superstar and parliamentarian Hema Malini, “They were nicely dressed, so I don’t know what that the fuss is about. Secondly, who are these people to comment on how we women dress?”

Agreeing with Hemaji, actress-activist Renuka Shahane says, “I do not think there was anything wrong in the clothes both had worn. Their dress wasn’t “unparliamentary” at all. People just need targets to troll and they find it especially easy to target women about the clothes they should or should not wear accordinh to them.”

Actress-politician Khushbu feels that gender attitudes need to evolve with the times. “Times are changing and we need to change too. Let their work speak. There are no hard and fast rules for cottons and linens in Parliament. They represent the Next Gen. When the world has seen women breastfeeding their babies in Parliament, here we are still stuck up on clothes,” she says.

Meanwhile, singer-parliamentarian Baabul Supriyo adds on the topic, “On social media, millions of people will have millions of opinions. The challenge is to differentiate the trolls from positive criticism, ignore or make a note of it and move on.”

Swara Bhaskar however, has the last word on the subject of objectifying women in Parliament. “It’s a classic case of sexism and shouldn’t be given any attention.”