Sexuality no bar for women today

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It’s not just Vidya Balan’s bare-dare act in Dirty Picture that is evidence to how comfortable women are with their sexuality today, we’ve seen such examples in the past as well. But what this one has brought to fore, is how women are accepting themselves as sexual beings, shunning the stereotypes attached to their gender, and walking out of the closet with grace and poise like never before.
Garima, a content writer says, “Any topics related to sex are no longer intimate. For starters, women go out their, buy colourful lingerie and dare to flaunt their straps. They compliment each other for the assets another friend has. It’s no more a hush-hush conversation confined within the walls of their personal rooms.”
What’s interesting to note is the fact that talking about their virgin self is no more a tabboo. “Virginity is no more an issue and girls don’t shy away from talking about their sex lives. I have personally seen my girl friends share what they would like from a man and what they wouldn’t, which in previous generations was not much of a choice for Indian women,” says Atreye, a student.
For some, these are times when women are willing to explore their sexual beings.
“They enjoy their womanhood and express themselves by creating their own space in the society. Even the dirty picture is not a dirty word any more. This has both pros and cons. ‘Sex’ is not a derogatory word anymore. Women talk to their male friends about it too,” says Sumati Makhija, JNU student.
Delhi-based designer Nida Mahmood feels awareness has has increased with time. “I have seen that women are comfortable with their sexuality and how much they want to expose. A woman is confident about how she would like to present herself in a world which is still dominated by men. Not just in terms of clothes, women speak their minds too,” says Nida.
But according actress Sambhavna Seth, we’re a hypocrite society, where parents still raise eyebrows when their kids walk out in short clothes. “You can’t judge how open a society is about sexuality by just watching a few movies. These are actresses who get money for portraying a certain role. You can’t really walk out being comfortable with whatever you wear. If I have to wear something revealing, I don’t do it unless it’s work-related. I’m always careful about how I carry myself in front of my parents. You can’t deny that we’re still living under the veils,” she says.