Women in the video admit to becoming indifferent to the constant harassment.
Being a woman in India is not easy. Being on the receiving end of constant, lecherous gazes is not easy. Being subjected to various forms of harassment and objectification on a daily basis is not easy. And to be asked, in the end, 'But what were you wearing?' - is definitely not easy. So ahead of International Women's Day this year, Vitamin Stree decided to tackle the question head-on with this powerful video. 'What were you wearing?' it asks women. 'I've been wearing men's gazes,' is the simple, powerful response.
The video will give you goosebumps as you watch men laugh, leer, whistle and shout, "
Madam, hume bhi try kar lo." The women, from every part of the country and across different age groups, admit wearily to becoming indifferent to this constant harassment, 'because outrage wears thin with age and mine disintegrated years ago.' It's sure to strike a chord with every Indian woman.
The message is simple: Stop asking women what they were wearing. The solution to objectification, after all, does not lie with the ones being objectified, but with the ones objectifying. In this case, it is the male gaze that treats women as objects of desire. What women were wearing at the time of being harassed is immaterial, and the video drives the point home beautifully.
You can watch the video below:
(Disclaimer: This video contains language which may be unsuitable for children)
Don't forget to read the entire poem in the video description below the video.