IT happened a decade ago.A popular female star in Bollywood, who had several hits with Shah Rukh Khan, was nasty to journalists and extremely rude on sets. But what the world saw was a different woman a cherubic actress onscreen and sweettalker at awards functions.
Cut to the present. Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, fresh-faced girls barely out of their teens, take Bollywood by storm with their to-hell-with-the-world attitude. In one clean swipe, the giggly girls bare their fangs on those who suck or piss them off. Polite sweet nothings, anyone
Enter, the bitch brigade, that's redefining the term bad girl with a vengeance! They are chic, tempestuous, stimulating and sexy. They organise raunchy hen parties and bond over whiskey. They use cuss words and warn the world not to mess with them. And they don't mind being labelled a bitch.
Is it time to embrace a new creed that breaks the stereotypical black and white with grey female characters in control of their sexuality Ad woman Preeti Vyas works in a world where a woman has to take on a machoistic entity. The gender lines are getting blurred as society moves towards a more androgynous unit. With women donning male roles, theres a sense of heightened confidence in female sexuality. Call it unnatural, but the girl bonding is breaking all boundaries and taboos.
Even seasoned actresses like Rani Mukherji and Vidya Balan shocked the daylights out of cynics when they got touchy-feely while promoting their movie. Says an onlooker,The vibes they passed were almost sensual. They looked complete almost like a couple! Good girls finish last, quips Angona Dutta, editor of a Kolkata-based youth magazine. Everybody's gotten a little tired of being told to be nice. Celebs behave virtuous, magazines tell us about the virtues of femininity. In general, we were told to be grateful for what we have and be accommodating.
These no-nonsense, comehither girls may be an antithesis in the face of the docile, sacrificial pushover woman. But how much of the tough act is a faade to survive in a male dominated society Mumbai based freelance photographer Mandakini has six tattoos,is a veteran in her field,and doesnt mince words.She explains the mentality of the bitch brigade, Dont get us wrong.
Even if we sound cruel,its a way of telling people where exactly they stand in the world. What we believe is that there are other ways which measure how much power you have to intimidate people around you. Sugar and spice isn't always nice. But we all know that being ballsy does not mean loud and foul (Dolly Bindra is an example).Reality TV star Pravesh Rana, who has starred in several shows featuring bitches, has this to say, Theres a thin line between feisty and blas.
A loud woman definitely lacks confidence because her behaviour screams for attention. A truly liberated woman can be wild and wacky in terms of the way she dresses, talks and behaves, but shed be attractive because of the fact that she knows her mind and has strength of character. While this new creed walks the tightrope between being intimidating and independent, the question is how accepting society is of them. Says a Delhi-based senior journalist, The bitch attitude puts me off. So much in-your-face attitude can kill the subtlety thats needed for relationships.
Model Zulfikar says, Any extreme is a turnoff. Whether you are the super aggressive sort or the dreamy, shy type, extreme behaviour signals insecurity. On the contrary, there is nothing more attractive than a woman who has dignity and pride in who she is. Its interesting how the age-old war between the sexes has now transgressed into a bad girl versus good girl tussle. Clinical psychologist Jitendra Nagpal explains the shift, Men seem to go for someone smarter, sassier and sexier. They want a partner who lives by her own rules. But many would see this as part of an evolution process. Says Dr Ashum Gupta of Delhi University, The new brigade of girls would not bow down to old ideals of suffering silently. Their newfound confidence manifests at times in brash behaviour.
Eighteen-year-old reality TV actor Manvi does not believe in conforming to any set standards. She and her girl friends compete with guys on the number of tattoos, drinks and cuss words. They want a home, marriage and kids at what time and with whom, they decide. But they wont let a man decide these things for them. Girls score more grades than guys, they can drive and explore the world on their own. They are breaking glass ceilings in the corporate world. Then why should we be demure Today, there are Manvis all over at nightclubs, changing rooms and on social networking sites. They aspire to be like Priyanka Chopra's character in Kaminey, Vidyas in Ishqiya and Rani's in No One Killed Jessica. What these girls portray is a fun, fearless femme fatale. Hope its the same person when we scratch the surface!
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