Why Is It So Easy To Pass Comments On Women's Bodies?

Recently on a live session, Ranbir Kapoor passed a comment about his wife Alia Bhatt's baby bump which shocked the Darlings actor as well. It seemed so, while he covered it up saying it was a joke but that made it even worse. Is the line of respect and jibe so blurred when it comes to women?

Being a woman in the entertainment industry can be very exhausting as the focus always remains on the size of her waist. For ages, once an actor decided to get pregnant it was assumed she would either give up on her acting career or take up 'safe' roles to cover up her newfound body type. Firstly, the pregnant actor has the pressure of being a good attentive mom along with being relevant in their career which a male actor almost never faces. Secondly, the pressure to maintain their body type as desirable as before is another big pressure.

Viral clip - Ranbir Kapoor fat shames Alia Bhatt

The duo was hosting a live session for promoting their upcoming film Brahmastra along with the director Ayan Mukerji on YouTube. In the viral clip, Bhatt can be seen responding to a question about not doing a wide spread promotion of the film yet. She said, "If the question you are asking is why we are not phaeloed (spread) everywhere, right now our focus is…".When Kapoor interrupted saying, "I can see somebody has phaeloed". This left Bhatt with a shocking expression and Kapoor saying, "Joke… in a cute way."

Why would someone joke about a baby bump and call is 'phaeloed'? It is not the first time Ranbir was caught interrupting others in a conversation. He has spoken out of turn and mansplained during interviews with Katrina Kaif and revealed important medical information about Anushka Sharma once, in video clips that have gone viral. It is a tragedy that when it comes to men we usually don't outrage or call them out for their regressive behaviour. Alia Bhatt didn't seem to find it funny, shouldn't the co-star and husband have known better?

Image Credit: Alia Bhatt/Instagram

Body image issues are real

Body image issues are real, especially for women. To feel desirable and beautiful one has to be of a certain size and be flawless. Catering to the male gaze has left actors resolute to almost leaving their careers sometimes.

One can always have the freedom to joke about things regarding their friends and family but that doesn't mean they can step on anything they want especially when they are making a public appearance.

Suggested Reading: Alia Bhatt Hits Back At Sexist Reports; Why Don’t We Accept Motherhood Doesn’t End Careers?

The problem also lies in the actor being a public figure, his words affect and percolate through layers of society. So making a joke about his heavily pregnant wife with a very uncomfortable comment can seem to be normal for many. And next time a regular pregnant woman or even an actor puts up a photo of themself on social media can be a place for such comments. Anyway, women are on the receiving end of all the sexist comments so adding on to that pile was of no need.

The views expressed are the authour's own.