Why we, the people of India, have a problem with male nudity but not its female version?
Why we, the people of India, have a problem with male nudity but not its female version?
We all love Ranveer Singh for his eccentricities and quirky dressing. I think that is what makes him stand out. But why do we always have a problem with male nudity whereas female nudity is appreciated? Is it because in our society female nudity is easier to consume because it's easy to objectify a naked woman and then consume the image voyeuristically or mindlessly. Or dismiss it as porn but still consume it.
As actor Swara Bhasker rightly says, “Female nudity doesn’t threaten the patriarchal mind-set where the female body is nude and is meant to cater to the male gaze or be seen through a male lens. A naked body is also vulnerable so it’s comfortable for that vulnerable entity to be female. I think a naked male body is unsettling to a patriarchal worldview because it reverses the gaze onto the man, making the male form an object of consumption and potentially objectifying men.”
On July 22, when Indian actor Ranveer Singh posed for the cover of Paper Magazine in his birthday suit, whereby the actor bared it all for a photoshoot. An F.I.R. was filed against the actor at the Chembur Police Station, Mumbai for hurting the sentiments of women and the traditions and rich culture of India. The F.I.R. booked the actor under Section 292, Section 293 and Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The Complainant Vedika Chaubey has alleged that posting the pictures on social media platforms.
The question here is whether the posting of pictures by Ranveer Singh amounts to any criminal offence herewith. Mumbai based advocate Abha Sigh states, “The answer would be No. Section 292, allows the actor to put an obscene object into circulation as long as the same is in the interest of art, which by the very profession of the actor in the space of acting and fashion can be upheld. Although the constitutional validity of the section was upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Ranjit Udeshi v. State of Maharashtra (1965), the same court held that the restriction of one’s fundamental right to speech and expression by Section 292 can be done on grounds of public morality and decency. Hon’ble Justice K. N. Hidayatullah held that the mere treating with nudity in art and literature is not per se evidence of obscenity. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Aveek Sarkar & Anr. v. State of West Bengal & Anr. (2014) introduced the ‘Community Standard Test’ to understand the scope of obscenity in Indian law, whereby what amounts to obscenity must be viewed from the point-of-view of an average person, by applying contemporary community standards.”
The photoshoot by no means was not created to incite sexual desire or interest but was done as a work of art. standards of contemporary society in India are also fast changing. Abha Singh explains, “One must gauge an obscene material in the field of art as to whether a class of people into whose hands the obscene book, article or story falls suffer in their moral outlook or become depraved by reading it or might have impure and lecherous thoughts aroused in their minds for the same as per the court. In my opinion, the photoshoot does not satisfy the tests of obscenity highlighted by the Supreme Court of India.”
The actions of Ranveer Singh do not amount to any offence under Section 509. The section places an onus on the mens rea of the offender, whereby Ranveer Singh should have the active intention to insult the modesty of a woman. The photoshoot being a work of art and expression does not carry with it an active intention on part of the actor to insult the modesty of any woman.
Naked male body robs men of the powerful authority position as voyeur and actually renders the male form vulnerable. That is unsettling and that’s the cause of the outrage in certain predictable quarters. In the land of Kamasutra and Khajuraho, we are the world’s only nation to have gone from a past of progressive thinking to a future of regression. Author and feminist Meghna Pant says, “Remember, conservatism is a western construct, brought to India by the British. It must be rejected because it is not the way of our history and tradition. Secondly, the courts must stop recognising frivolous lawsuits bought upon by those seeking cheap publicity when we have far more serious issues to deal with. Thirdly, let’s stop the hypocrisy. We are the third largest porn users in the world, and half of them are women. Nobody is buying into your double standards, society. Lastly, I for one, as a woman, laud and encourage the long repressed female gaze. Let there be more nude Ranveer’s. We’re all waiting with bated breath.”
In a country where porn is not legalised, but people watch porn on a regular basis nudity is still shamed. There are many issues on which we as Indians nurture societal hypocrisy. Swara states, “We have a population of 135 crores but talking about sex, or sex education is still a taboo. We pray to female goddesses during Navratri, cases of rape are rampant countrywide. We watch and enjoy porn in private but are uncomfortable when an artist poses for a tastefully captured nude photoshoot for a foreign publication.”
The outrage to most women in our country is both childish and totally misplaced. At a time when inflation is on the rise; diesel, petrol and gas prices are skyrocketing is a Bollywood celebrity's nude photoshoot for an American magazine really worth our outrage?? If you don't like the images, don't look at it as actors like Vidya Balan and Swara Bhasker rightly said. No one is forcing you to see them. Also, has anyone read the interview? It shows a rarely revealed thoughtful and vulnerable side of Ranveer.
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