Following high profile incidences of gang rape and horrific victim-blaming comments from too many members of the establishment, things don’t look bright for the rights of women in India. But believe us, there’s a change afoot. A change so big that’s being driven by mass media as much as within grassroots protests.
A video from Vogue India features 99 different women from Mumbai - from all different walks of life – looking happy, confident and proud. All the while, a voiceover says: ‘My body, my mind, my choice. My choice, to marry or not to marry. To have sex before marriage, to have sex outside of marriage to not have sex, my choice.’
‘My choice, to love a man, or a woman, or both. My choice. To have your baby or not.’
‘The bindi on my forehead, the ring on my finger, adding your surname to mine, they are ornaments. They can be replaced, my love for you cannot. So treasure that.’
It might seem really simple, but considering women’s rights in India puts it at 135 out of 189 countries in the UN’s Gender Inequality Index, and it’s a commonly held belief that women out after dark are asking for trouble, it’s no wonder this video’s racking up millions of views.
Like this? You might also be interested in:
A Video Of Two Sisters Fighting Their Alleged Attackers Has Gone Viral In India
YouTube Raps, Bamboo Stick Vigilantes And Girl Gangs. India's Got A Feminist Movement, And It's Big
Delhi Bus Rape Documentary Banned Because It's 'Derogatory' To Women, Apparently.
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.