There is no escaping the ‘male gaze’ even in the Lok Sabha. Political masculinity often manifests in gender-insensitive remarks. Tamil Nadu Opposition leader Udhaynidhi Stalin’s snide allusion to the rumoured liaison between state Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and actor Trisha is one such instance. The objective was not just to create a sense of male fellowship through a shared joke (the crowd laughed) but to hint that the CM was under feminine control and, therefore, lacking in political competence.

In deriding women in the public space, more so if the target is a public figure in her own right, politicians attempt to project an image of aggressive leadership. They consciously sidestep political correctness in service of ideas of manhood centred around strength, power, dominance, control, and forceful behaviour. The offensive remarks we condemn as sexist are invariably politically loaded. Politicians like Mayawati, Smriti Irani, Jaya Prada, Hema Malini, Kangana Ranaut, and Priyanka Gandhi, to name a few, have all been targets of politicians from rival parties. By objectifying them in terms that reinforce gender stereotypes, the opponent seeks to undermine their credibility as political leaders.

Gendered Political Attacks

The notion that women who have progressed beyond their familial role as mother, daughter or sister to claim an identity of their own must be ‘put in their place’ provokes uncivil behaviour. Sanjay Nirupam, then a Congress MP, reportedly told Irani, “You used to charge money to perform dance shows on TV (thumke lagati thi). Now you are an election analyst.” It would appear........

© Free Press Journal