This Indian Actress Has An Important Message For Us All

Women have always been subjected to the profanities of the society.  Our so-called modern and educated society judges a women’s character based on a long list of stereotypes.

Saloni Chopra - a well-known Indian actress raised her voice against this mentality of our society through her bold photo shoot and urges all of us to think about it.

Part 1/5 Here's a little tribute to all the women out there. Women that I adore, and am inspired by. Women that are unique and independent. All of you... You are strength. To read the photo article I've written, log onto salonichopra.in - link also available in my bio. Don't forget to share it!! Over the next few days, I'll try to upload all the different avatars of women from my post on Instagram. But I would really love it if you read that too. Happy Independence day! Excerpt "I am a Virgin. I may not look like one, so what? What’s a virgin girl suppose to look like anyway? Am I not suppose to dye my hair, just because I’m a virgin? Should I not open my legs, or smoke a Cigarette? Sure, smoking is injurious to your health, but don’t say it like it’s injurious to only “women’s health”. I am sick and tired of being judged. You see me walking by, and you think i’m the kind of girl that’ll flirt with you, or i’m high on drugs, or that I’m a lesbian (which is none of your business), just because of the way I look. So I like making a fucking loud statement, what has sex got to do with it? Yeah I’m a virgin, and maybe I will lose my virginity tomorrow, or maybe I won’t for the next 5 years. But i’ll dress the way I like, and I don’t give you the right to judge me for it." #IndependenceDay #wordporn #women #independence #inspired #motivate #bethechangeyouwishtosee #love #photoarticle #educate #awareness

A photo posted by Saloni Chopra 🎈 (@redheadwayfarer) on Aug 15, 2016 at 10:59am PDT

Part 2/5 I hate pants. I hate bra’s too. I am so much more comfortable when I throw on a pair of shorts and a tshirt and walk out of my house to buy my groceries, instead of having to wear a bra, put on a pair of jeans — I hate it. I like my body just the way it is, i’m more than comfortable in it. But clearly, you have a problem with my comfort. You want me to cover myself up all the time. Even though your mumma’s got the same things I do, but why is it that when you see me you get aroused without reason? Do you feel weird seeing me in my underwear? Would a bikini be okay for you? Why is it that you assume, when you see a girl like me, in clothes too small (but one’s she’s happy to be in) you automatically assume that I’m a slut. You assume that it’s okay to touch me, and tease me. You want to teach me a lesson. You call me characterless, a slut, or a whore. Firstly, no girl, even if she does do the things you disapprove of, is a slut or a whore. It’s her body and her choice. Secondly, my clothes don’t define me. I am an introvert. I am shy as fuck. I can’t start a conversation with a stranger at a party… that’s not me. And it bothers me, that you think I have no character, just because you can see my underpants. They cover my ass, and they sure as hell cover my vagina. The problem lies within you, not me. I do have character. I just may not be able to ever say this out loud to you — because that’s not who I am. I am not that bold, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t hold the right to be respected in this society. Courtesy, every girl out there that is shy, but loves her body too. Because you can be both, without being ashamed of either. To read the entire Independence Day article I've written, log onto www.salonichopra.in #independenceday #introvert #awareness #beyou #bethechangeyouwishtosee #selflove #wordporn #photoarticle #theslowlife

A photo posted by Saloni Chopra 🎈 (@redheadwayfarer) on Aug 16, 2016 at 4:48am PDT

Part 3/5 "All my life, they told me what to do. I was raised very well with all necessary etiquettes & requirements that a wife should have. I can cook, clean, stitch, feed, lift and provide pleasure, as and when needed. I am well aware, that I am not suppose to have a sexual drive of my own. That’s not what I am here for. But what if, that is what I want to discover right now? My own sexuality? Because I like the act of sex. There are still places where I could be killed for saying that out loud. Definitely be looked down upon. But why is it okay for me to have sex just to please him, but not want to do it when I am aroused or horny? What about my hormones? What if I am not just this body of mine? I don’t even know if it is men, or women that I desire. And I will never know, because I’ve always been petrified to find out. I am too scared to ask. I am shunned down from it. Who am I? What if all I want to do is travel the world, work in villages, help people, and explore my sexuality as I go? I don’t think I want to have kids, or to ever cook again. I do not want to lie down under him for the three and a half minutes that I do, I want to moan and scream. I want someone to explore not just my body, but my mind and my soul. I want to be touched, without being entered. I want to learn everything there is to learn, outside of what I know. I don’t want to be his trophy, or his slave. I want to be me. And I don’t want to be ashamed of telling you that I want to have orgasms. This is who I am. My culture, or my history will not change that. I am proud of where I belong, it's not the place, but the people that are bothered. If The Kama Sutra can emerge from our Culture and History, then why can’t I? Give me the freedom… to be me." - Courtesy every woman who has ever been scared of becoming herself. To read the entire Independence Day Article, dedicated to the wonderful women that are strong, but are scared of becoming - log onto www.salonichopra.in #bethechangeyouwishtosee #desire #selfawareness #theslowlife #wordporn #shootmode #awareness #photoarticle #women #beyou

A photo posted by Saloni Chopra 🎈 (@redheadwayfarer) on Aug 17, 2016 at 8:11pm PDT

Part 4/5 (This is a Tribute. Not My Story). So it happened. Was it easy? No. Did I suffer? You don’t know the inch of what I went through. You don’t even know what rape is. It isn’t physical. It wouldn’t be painful if it was. As women, we are capable of producing a child out of our vagina’s — a penis can’t hurt me. But it did. Because I shut down. My mind shut down, so did my body. I cried for weeks, months. I couldn’t look anybody in the eye. I couldn’t trust anyone. At first I didn’t talk about it. But when I did, my family suffered the consequences. The shame, the disgust. As though I had committed the crime. No one cared who he was. The neighbours didn’t care about my pain, they wondered what was I wearing? Nobody looked at me the same way again. My colleagues, my teachers, my friends. Overnight I went from being the girl with big dreams, to the girl that had been raped. Did you know there are more chances of adolescent girls being raped within the family, than there are of it happening outside? That's right. But you know what? I am sick & tired of being ‘That Girl’. Who will marry That Girl? Who will drop That Girl home? Yes! It fucking happened. Yes, it was traumatising. But my rape doesn’t fucking define who I am. I am beyond that. I am more than just the act. I am fucking wonderful. I love strangers bcos they don’t look at me as the girl who got raped. They look at me & they see my smile. They see my shining eyes. They see me flick my hair, they hear me laugh. They ask me about my dreams & goals in life. There is much more to me than just that one night. I am not ashamed of being a rape victim, I am not scared & on most days, I am not sad either. Why should I be? I’m not the one who did it! I am going to live my life to the fullest & enjoy every moment like it’s the last, bcos I deserve the best. And one day, I want to be able to walk into a crowded place & admit that I have been raped, without being judged or labeled. Without your pity. Yes. I am That Girl. I am That Girl, who still doesn't forget to smile. - On behalf of every girl who's ever been too scared to say the truth. You're stronger than you think. Full article on www.salonichopra.in

A photo posted by Saloni Chopra 🎈 (@redheadwayfarer) on Aug 18, 2016 at 4:23am PDT

Part 5/5 I wanted to be a teacher, and an astronaut. I wanted to become a dancer. I wanted to plant trees and have kids. I was the girl who ordered coffee right before you at the Starbucks this morning. The girl that broke the traffic light last night at 10 pm. I was travelling in the auto next to yours, three nights ago. You tried to chat me up last week at the bar down the street. You also almost sold me a credit card this afternoon, but I was running around at work and I hung up before you could. I am the girl with the parents that live far away, in Amritsar. I am the girl who grew up with six siblings. And I am also her, who has nobody. I could be somebody’s sister, wife, daughter, mother — but what if I am not? Do I only not deserve to be raped and abused by the relationships I have? Is my relation to a man the only thing that defines me? What if I am not a daughter, a sister, a mother or a wife? What if I am just… me? Yes, I am that virgin who likes to make a statement with her attire. I am the shy girl, comfortable in her skin. I am dying to explore my sexuality and yes, I'm the girl thats been sexually abused in the past. I am not just that I am many more. I am studying for my exams. I am travelling back drunk at 3 am from a party. I am standing outside a bar, crying over a bad break up. I am working in a call centre, to support my younger brothers education. I have been in love. I have dreams and goals and ambitions. I am an individual. I am strong. I am every girl that has ever been touched, teased, slapped, abused or raped. I am also every girl that is scared of being alone on the streets, because I am scared of being objectified. I am a goddess, you say. Then why am I so scared of your presence around me? Why am I not safe? Why am I not… Independent? Today, on the 69th year of our country’s Independence, this is all I ask of you. My freedom to breathe. To live. To be Me. To not be ashamed of who I am. Because I did not, do not, and never will deserve this. #TributeToWomen #Part5 #bethechangeyouwanttoseeintheworld #independenceday #india #feminism #educate #girls #TheSlowLife

A photo posted by Saloni Chopra 🎈 (@redheadwayfarer) on Aug 18, 2016 at 11:14pm PDT

So free yourselves from these stereotypes of the society and #JustBeYou

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Why thousands of women in Iceland walked off the job at 2:38 p.m

For thousands of women in Iceland on Monday, fighting for equal rights meant ditching out on work early. 

Women across the country powered down their smartphones, closed their laptops, and canceled meetings at 2:38 p.m. to protest the gender pay gap, according to an Iceland Review report.

Women in Iceland come together to fight for equality, shouting OUT #kvennafrí #womensrights pic.twitter.com/vTPFwfSoVk

— Salka Sól Eyfeld (@salkadelasol) October 24, 2016

Why 2:38? The protestors didn't just choose a random time.

Women in Iceland make roughly 18% less than their male counterparts, according to the latest European Union data. Which is good, compared to a lot of other countries — including the United States (which ranks 28th on the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Report; Iceland is first). But still pretty unfair.

Unless, of course, their work day was 18% shorter. Which means they'd get out at 2:38 p.m.

This isn't the first time women in Iceland have gone on strike.

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A photo posted by Áslaug Lárusdóttir (@aslauglar_) on Oct 24, 2016 at 10:04am PDT

In 1975, labor unions and women's rights organizations in the country organized the first Women's Day Off. According to a BBC report, 90% of women in the country participated, including domestic workers and stay-at-home mothers. The strike paralyzed the country, forcing many men to take their children into the office.

"Probably most people underestimated this day's impact at that time — later both men and women began to realise that it was a watershed," Styrmir Gunnarsson, a former newspaper editor, told the BBC.

Iceland's (and Europe's) first female president, Vigdis Finnbogadottir, who joined that first protest 40 years ago, believes the mass demonstration helped pave the way for her election five years later.

This 2016 protest is the fourth time Iceland's women have gone on strike — and the time of the walkout has gotten progressively later with each one as women's relative wages have increased.

In 2005, protestors walked off the job at 2:08 p.m. In 2008, they left at 2:25.

But 2:38 p.m. is still not late enough!

Frelsi og feminismi. Við systurnar viljum jafnrétti núna STRAX!

A photo posted by Dóra Júlía Agnarsdóttir (@dorajulia) on Oct 24, 2016 at 8:46am PDT

At that rate, the wage gap in Iceland will take more than 50 years to close on its own. A WEF report estimates that the global wage gap may take as long as 118 years to sew up. But if the first protest changed the way the country values women's labor, then perhaps the pressure from more massive events can speed up the clock.

Women of Iceland are gathering at Austurvöllur today to protest against the gender wage gap #kvennafrí

A photo posted by Reykjavik Grapevine (@rvkgrapevine) on Oct 24, 2016 at 8:54am PDT

Perhaps on a Women's Day Off not too long in the future, they'll be skipping out at the end of the day with their male colleagues.

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Amitabh Bachan Gives Voice To #AbSamjhautaNahin Campaign

Vivel, from the house of ITC and Culture Machine’s Lifestyle digital channel ‘Blush’ is back with their #AbSamjhautaNahin campaign showing the challenges faced by modern indian women.

“Bhaiya aap iss sunsaan gali se nhi sidha long cut se lijiyega”

"Meeting mein red lipstick lagayegi? Are you mad?"

"Bas yaar one more year of work and then marriage and settle down."

"Mummy ji ki roti gol, papa ji ka paisa gol!"

These are not just statements but they are prejudices in our indian society that holds back women from realizing their full potential.

A note on blush’s YouTube channel reads:

What if we were to eavesdrop on snippets of regular, everyday statements that a modern Indian makes in a day. #AbSamjhautaNahin shows the effect on our words, on our choices, on our decisions and reactions, that women today are a victim of judgement, of gender stereotyping, of subconscious body shaming and moral policing, more so today, than ever. So much so, we believe we’re speaking out of our own volition, backed with absolute neutrality with no shades of gender bias. But the truth is, the most harmless and functional words and sentences in our lives are the biggest testament of how a society, a dominant ideology, is forcing us to think, and speak, sometimes without our knowledge. And women, are speaking that language. Can we hear it?

In this Blush and Pink association the voice of Mr. Amitabh Bachchan is a ventriloquist, it is the voice of our society. This voice also comes back in the end to show us a mirror and to reveal the hard hitting reality.

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