A YouTube Channel Edited Anushka’s Sharma’s Picture To Put Sindoor On Her. Why The Annoying Need To Show Her Relationship Status?
In India, there is a very distinctive way to tell if a woman is married or not. She weara a mangalsutra around her neck, sindoor in her hair partition and probably some bangles, toe rings and bazillion other things that validate the face that she’s been taken for life. For men, on the other hand, there is no such thing. Most women today don’t believe in wearing a badge of matrimony around their body, mainly because it’s a sign of patriarchy and an oppressive practice and secondly, it’s nobody business to know whether she is married or not.
However, the society doesn’t leave a stone unturned to shame and judge women to don’t adhere to these regressive and blatantly pointless traditions. And when I say society, it is not just the nosey neighbourhood aunties who shame women but sadly, it could be anyone, like this media channel on YouTube that was apparently disappointed with Anushka Sharma for not wearing sindoor in her latest Diwali picture to the point that it felt the need to add it itself.
Universal In Sight is a verified YouTube channel that primarily covers news related to Bollywood celebrities, as could be seen on their page (yes, I went through their page; the things I do to keep my job). A few days ago, it posted Anushka Sharma’s Diwali picture that she shared on her Instagram account with a minor change. It added sindoor on her forehead which wasn’t there on Anushka’s original post. A twitter used pointed out the difference and shared on her account, “This came up on my YouTube right now and I noticed something off with the picture. They literally added the sindoor to her pictures. I’m –.” To complete her sentence, she’s speechless and so are we. See for yourself.
This came up on my YouTube right now and I noticed something off with the picture.
They literally added the sindoor to her pictures.
I’m – pic.twitter.com/Vu4sZWR8Sb— ruta (@baateinvaatein) November 19, 2020
Also Read: Anushka Sharma’s Pregnancy Is Not Our Concern. Stop Asking Married Women This Question. It’s Annoying
Twitter had all sorts of reactions with a mix of hilarious and defensive comments but mostly people were disgusted at the sick mentality and the nerve of the channel to go ahead and put the sindoor in her pictures. I can only imagine how appalled they were to see a married woman without the sindoor—the society-approved suhaag ki nishani. How dare she! I am sure even my pados ki aunty doesn’t have the balls to forcefully put the sindoor on someone’s forehead but these people here have some guts. This just shows how we judge women who don’t surrender to the societal pressure and traditions.
A user wrote, “This is sick and disgusting!! Another example of our male chauvinist society.. these people should get screwed big time for invading a dignified woman’s personal space and choice…” Another user commented, Digital version of those mohalle ki aunties who frown upon women for not wearing sindoor and mangal sutra and all the suhaag ki nishani crap.” After one user couldn’t see what was wrong with adding the sindoor and why people were losing it and instead thought the OP was against sindoor, she replied, “It’s literally…about her choice…if she wanted sindoor she would have applied it herself…why did they have to add it to the pictures…?
It’s literally…about her choice…if she wanted sindoor she would have applied it herself…why did they have to add it to the pictures…?
— ruta (@baateinvaatein) November 19, 2020
We seriously need to stop shaming women for not looking married or refusing to wear symbols of marriage set by the society be it sindoor or any other matrimonial article for that matter. Applying sindoor is something that married women are prescribed by the society and the practice has been intensely glorified by Bollywood over years. I am not anti-sindoor, but at the end of the day, it’s a woman’s personal choice whether she wants to sport sindoor or not and on what occasions. Anushka wore sindoor on her wedding reception and on Karwa Chauth so if she wanted to put it here as well, she would have done it herself. It shouldn’t be something that authenticate the fact that a woman accepts her marriage and definitely not something to be forcefully put on a woman’s forehead via bad photoshop. Period!
