Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor Ahuja has always been a vocal supporter of feminism and has never shied away from speaking her mind. As the guest editor for Thrive Global (India), the actress has recently penned down an article about the on-going Me Too movement and has urged women to not stay quite in fear of hurting someone.
The star has urged people to not criticise the movement, but rather be a part of the change this #MeToo wave has brought where prominent names have been called out for sexual harassment.
— Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamakapoor) November 13, 2018
Sonam expressed that one of the many reasons she doesn’t fear speaking her heart out is that she was brought up this way. “That safety net [her family], this spotlight and a stage for my opinion has always encouraged me to have a voice. However, the first time I used it, as a 17-year-old young woman, I was taken aback by the crudeness of the real world. When I called myself a feminist in an interview, I was told that I mustn’t. That it makes me look unfeminine,†she wrote, adding that now it has become cool to have an opinion and call yourself a feminist.
“The #MeToo movement has been as eye-opening and devastating as it has been exhilarating. It has and must continue to galvanise us into action and into a redemption of rights long awaited for the disempowered,” she wrote.
The Neerja actress addressed burning issues such as the need for consent, faith on the survivors, tolerance for sexist remarks, and neutrality, accountability and many more. She also listed suggestions to how to be a part of the change the right way.
Read: Kangana Ranaut lashes out at Sonam Kapoor who said ‘it’s hard to believe Kangana’
Sonam expressed that mothers must stop treating their sons like they are precious gifts from God and that men are not entitled to anything by birth and they have to earn it like their female counterparts do. “Any person must seek permission before touching another person. If it’s a no, then it’s an unequivocal no. If it’s a maybe, then it’s still a no. Only if it’s a resounding, enthusiastic yes, is it a yes. When a situation involves a boss and a subordinate or a person with more power—literally and metaphorically—than the other, it’s the person with power who has the responsibility to be extra cautious,†she wrote.
