A very common norm of pop culture is that men can objectify women and profit off of the same, but when women attempt to subvert this power dynamic by embracing themselves and acknowledging their own s*xual subjectivity, they are mocked, policed, and labelled. Whether it is Western favourites such as Sabrina Carpenter or Indian celebrities such as Uorfi Javed, the backlash these women receive for daring to take ownership of their own bodies is immense. They are often accused of pandering to the male gaze and setting back feminism, but are they really at fault, or is it society that is close-minded? We analyse and decode this phenomenon in depth.
Criticism Women Receive When They Embrace Their Bodies
Recently, actress and singer Sabrina Carpenter, who has hits like ‘Espresso’ and ‘Nonsense’, posed for the Rolling Stone magazine half-nude wearing a lingerie dress. She immediately criticised her for being too sexy or attempting to get male attention. This reaction is nothing new. The moment a woman decides to expose herself on her own terms, she‘s criticised and called attention-seeking, doing it for men, or not respecting herself.
Sabrina’s current era is intentionally artistic; she is, through her lyrics, styling, and performance choices, a self-aware woman manipulating irony, pop culture, and yes, sexuality. She is not waiting to be validated. She’s entertaining herself, and that’s just what rubs people the wrong way.
The Double Standard Of The Male Gaze
Directors like Sandeep Reddy Vanga, whose films Kabir Singh and Animal enshrine toxic masculinity and reduce women to objects of desire, are not criticised. Instead, Vanga is celebrated—his aesthetic is called raw, and his themes, intense. His female characters, portrayed by actresses like Triptii Dimri, are expected to remain submissive and subjects of appeal. These characters are mere visual tools for emotional storytelling that depict male suffering and redemption. These parts grant them fame but not respect. Meanwhile, Sandeep is revered as a great director.
Uorfi Javed And The Hypocrisy
Uorfi Javed is also a great example of this hypocrisy. Through her unconventional DIY fashion style, she became famous by defying modesty standards while confronting both fashion elitism and the gatekeeping present in the industry. She faces hatred not merely because of taste preferences but because she challenges established power dynamics. The widespread criticism of her clothing choice,s masked as concern or mockery, targets a woman who declines to conform to male expectations or industry standards.
People hate on Uorfi because she flaunts her body and takes ownership of it without taking consent from others. Ironically, she faces the most criticism from people who are fans of male celebrities. The same ones that embrace the image of a badass shirtless macho man.
So, we need to stop mistaking male curation of female sexuality as art and, at the same time, see women’s curation of their own bodies as a desperate need for validation. Because the real threat to the patriarchy has never been nudity. It’s been women choosing when, how, and why to reveal themselves.