Gender Norms

Playing ball
School kids going about their day, running, and having fun in groups on the big school playground as witnessed through a net.

The gendered assumption that girls are generally disinterested in sports, could be easily refuted by the fact that the principal’s office shelf was adorned with multiple trophies awarded to the girls’ hockey team for winning championships.”

By Bijayalaxmi Biswal and Karen Coelho
April 21, 2023
Playing ball
Bend the ball like Beckham, but where?
Selective focus shot of outdoor playground swings.

Such open spaces to play sports are mainly occupied by men, while women are mostly excluded on account of various gender norms. This also applies to many underprivileged girls coming from the margins of caste and class who lack access to safe and inclusive open public spaces to play, such as public parks or maidans.

By Anchal Kumari and Vinayak
April 21, 2023
Bend the ball like Beckham, but where?
Serving Looks: Encounters with the Aesthetics of Tennis
A woman is playing tennis on a court in the distance with her back towards the camera. The shot is captured through the boundary net.

I discovered that tennis is not only about having the privilege to buy a racquet and specialised tennis shoes and access a tennis court. It is also about how one performs and expresses oneself, requiring players to follow a particular aesthetic that enforces gender binaries.

By Chitrangi Kakoti
April 21, 2023
Serving Looks: Encounters with the Aesthetics of Tennis
Why Settle For Good When You Can Have Great? 
poster of the half of it with the red Netflix logo on the top left corner. a woman in a dress stands with folded arms looking at a tall man. hidden behind him is a woman in glasses handing him a note.

The Half of It is beautiful because it brings out the insecurities of teenagers who want to fit in with the world around them and are confused about their feelings which might be the diametrical opposite of what is socially expected.

By ElsaMarie D'Silva
December 12, 2022
Why Settle For Good When You Can Have Great? 
Obedience, the Greater Good and Self-Exploration
On a peach background is the illustration of a girl who is reaching out backwards towards a heart-shaped mirror with one hand. The other hand rests elegantly on her shoulder. Beside her are flowers in different colors, seemingly growing from the ground.
Years of control and suppression made their presence felt emotionally, mentally, and even physically. I would walk hunched up and was extremely conscious of how I should present myself physically, so as not to displease others. Those were very stressful days.
By Taniya Mondal
September 1, 2022
Obedience, the Greater Good and Self-Exploration
High Heels and Loose-fitting Clothes: Movement Unfettered
A rack of clothes from where T-shirts of different colours are hanging in a row.
How should I walk, what should my gait be like, what kind of clothes can I wear that will sort of cover me up…? This indecisiveness and the burden of, “What will others think?” are some of the worries, that I carried for a long time while making decisions like: “Is this going to expose too much skin?”, “Is this going to look a certain way that I may not like to present myself as?”
By Taniya Mondal
May 3, 2022
High Heels and Loose-fitting Clothes: Movement Unfettered
Video: It’s OK Pammi!
A screenshot of the video. On the left side is an image of the mother, and on the right, the words- It’s Okay in white font colour are visible

The film begins with the mother’s dilemma around her daughter’s refusal to be ‘normal’ and marry a ‘decent boy’. As the story unfolds, we see the mother invite a ‘suitable boy’ for dinner on the same evening as the daughter’s partner is coming home to meet the family.

By Curated Content
November 2, 2020
Video: It’s OK Pammi!
Body Talk

Social norms don’t expect women to look muscular, but if men are muscular, it is considered sexy. Just by choosing to pursue a largely male-dominated sport that glorifies what is accepted as “masculine”, Karuna and Sibalika are pushing the boundaries of these labels.

By Zulfiya Hamzaki
October 1, 2019
Body Talk
Brushstrokes: An Artist Captures Patriarchal Nosiness in its Most Everyday Avataar

The potential for art to connect people and to challenge thinking is continuously widening. Aarushi Jain, a 21-year-old artist from India, perfectly captures the societal expectations placed on women in her representation of the English alphabet.

By Curated Content
April 18, 2017
Brushstrokes: An Artist Captures Patriarchal Nosiness in its Most Everyday Avataar