Year-ender 2022 | Moving in with Malaika: Five new year resolutions Gen Z should make inspired by Malaika Arora

Malaika Arora teaches you to BE YOUR OWN FAN. There is no gender more self-critical than the female. And, as I wrote in my previous article, women cannot take compliments! Since we were little girls’ society ‘kept us in place’ by criticising us. And so we have grown to become women who doubt everything we do. It doesn’t matter how successful, beautiful, kickass and evolved we are, we become our own worst enemies. Therefore, I loved Malaika owning it during her stand-up routine and claiming the space of her beauty. You don’t have to be as hot as Malaika (I mean, who really is?) to be your own biggest fan. Just show up for yourself. Stand up for yourself. Every single day. Being proud of your small and big wins doesn’t make you arrogant and big-headed. It makes you cognisant of who you are and how hard you’ve worked, in seen and unseen ways, to belong where you are. Own it!

LOOK AFTER YOUR HEALTH – Your body is the only place you have to live. Treat it well, like Malaika does. Remember––being healthy doesn’t translate to being skinny, as is often assumed, but to being disease-free and energetic. Women in particular deprioritise their health and body to serve the needs of their family members. How many of us know women who tend to the children and house while the husband goes daily to the gym, but do not have the same courtesy extended to them? Women run families and homes and jobs, more than any man ever has. Shouldn’t a women’s health therefore take precedence over a man’s health? Isn’t a woman’s health therefore the most important pillar to keep a family safe and secure?

MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY – The reason women should make their own money is because money is the only thing in the world that gives you the power to say NO! No to bad careers, bad men, bad decisions, bad mistakes and a bad life. Society wielded money as a tool to tilt the power dynamics in men’s favour. Well, no more! You don’t have to be rich to be your own girl, but you definitely have to have a little bit of your own money. Always keep a rainy-day fund, 30-50% of whatever you earn, for your own upkeep. Life is cruel and we all face tragedy in our own way. One way of escaping that cruelty is to be financially independent. But, start early. Tell your parents to save for your education or investments, not your wedding. You can pay for that yourself if you save and invest wisely. Be smart. Look at Malaika. She’s been earning since she was young, and she is therefore the master of her destiny.

SPEND YOUR OWN MONEY – Society still celebrates women earning for themselves, but not women spending the money they earn. Not so for Malaika. She splurges on herself, on her friends and her loved ones. She enjoys the money she makes from buying and building her own home, to building the lifestyle she deserves. I loved Malaika speaking of splurging wisely when KJo took her shopping. That’s the smartest financial decision a woman can make. None of us our born with infinite wealth, so spend on things that are important to you, and be prudent with the rest. Set aside 5-10% of what you earn to splurge unapologetically on the one or two things that make you happy––whether it’s travelling, or salons, or shoes, or bags, or fine dining––and be careful with the rest. Be smart with your splurging, so it repays you and doesn’t destroy you when you most need money.

BE A GUILT-FREE WORKING MOM – The discussion between the lovely Mrs Arora and Malaika was telling when her mother revealed she looked after Malaika’s son Arhaan Khan when he was little because Malaika was busy working. This is the reality of most working moms. But what I found inspiring was that not once did Mrs Arora guilt Malaika for this, and nor did Malaika flounder with that guilt. Most working moms are wrought with such guilt for not being there when the children were little that it consumes them even decades later. Not Malaika and her family. Prioritising her career did not make her less of a mom, or a loving mom, nor did it take away from her son growing up into a wonderful man. That’s what motherhood should look like. You do the best you can, secure the safety and happiness of your child in the best way possible, and leave judgement out of it. Being a family means allowing space for everyone to be themselves. That’s the biggest lesson one can take from the Arora family.

Have a happy new year folks!

In an era where we fetishize opinions we don’t own, the weekly ‘Moderate Mahila Mandate’ presents unadulterated and non-partisan views on what’s happening to women in India today.

 Meghna Pant is a multiple award-winning and bestselling author, screenwriter, columnist and speaker, whose latest novel BOYS DON’T CRY (Penguin Random House) will soon be seen on screen. 

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