There is an inherent curiosity, that is, at times too consuming for my own good. Questions are nice when they are answerable. Then there are other times, where you do not find answers to things that matter to you and impact you. Why is it so easy to hate women is what I’ve been thinking today. More precisely, why do we like to bring them down – like we are doing to Sobhita Dhulipala?
Following Dhulipala’s engagement announcement, social media users have not hesitated to draw comparisons between her and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who was previously married to Chaitanya. This comparison has led to a number of comments questioning Dhulipala and attacking her for reasons that seem to stem from prejudices than actual facts.
After the actress shared pictures from her engagement with Naga Chaitanya, the internet took it upon itself to comment. AGAIN. So now Sobhita Dhulipala is being compared with Samantha Ruth Prabhu who was married to Chaitanya. What’s striking about this scenario is the distinct gendered nature of the criticism. Women, more often than not, find themselves subject to scrutiny and derision in ways that their male counterparts do not. In this case, while Dhulipala faces invasive judgments, Chaitanya is subject to comments suggesting he could have “done better” but is not similarly attacked.
Most times when women point at the misogyny in the way they are treated on the internet, people label it as playing the ‘women card’. They accuse women of overreacting, and how not everything is a ‘gender-thing’. It is mostly untrue, and in this specific case, it clearly is. Because when people have something to say about the actors’ relationship, it is only the woman being attacked and questioned. Naga Chaitanya, on the other hand, is being told that he could do ‘better’. Any argument needs to be driven by logic, and despite the fact that this logic is never cared for, we have to touch all bases.
So the fact that these remarks are coming from people who have no idea about these actors’ relationship and personal lives is deeply unnecessary. It makes no sense. And that is logic for you. This dismissal of legitimate concerns about gender bias undermines the real issues at play. In Dhulipala’s case, the scrutiny she faces is not about her but about how she is perceived in relation to Samantha Ruth Prabhu.
What I do care for is to want to know why do we get a kick out of pitting women against each other, or just put them down? The only way we appreciate a woman is when there is another woman we can compare her to. Because let’s just face it, it’s not like Samantha Ruth Prabhu has not been at the receiving end of this hate. Now, out of nowhere, people are ‘siding’ with her because they get to put someone else down instead. It’s so weird that people cannot comprehend the idea of women just existing together. The only way they think they can question us is when they divide us.
Which, in all honesty, says more about these people. So is that why women are constantly at the receiving end of unmeaning hate? Because even society knows that they are capable of a lot, if they were just treated better, and as equals. Is it fear of what we all can do if the system were to be fair? Weird, no?
