Indian tennis star and the world’s number one doubles player, Sania Mirza, just released her autobiography “Ace Against Odds”. Not only has she achieved great success in her life at a mere age of 29, she has also learnt how to deal with sexist comments and talk smart.
Bollywood King “Shah Rukh Khan” was there to reveal the book. The book has been in the headlines as the career and life of the tennis star has always been full of controversies.
On air with the Rajdeep Sardesai, she was questioned about her plans for motherhood and ‘settling down’. Sania Mirza has the persistence to stay calm on the court and over the years she has built up her personality in a way that she manages to shut people up when such a question comes her way.
Expert journalist and news anchor Rajdeep Sardesai questioned Mirza:
“Amidst all the celebrity hood, when is Sania going to settle down? Is it going to be in Dubai? Is it going to be in any another country? What about motherhood? Building a family? I don’t see that in the book. It seems like you don’t want to retire just yet to settle down,”
Mirza reacted by stressing the inherent sexism of the question:
“You don’t think I am settled? You sound disappointed that I am not choosing motherhood over being number one in the world at this point of time.”
She further quoted
“That’s one of the questions that as women, we have to face all the time. First is marriage and then is motherhood. Unfortunately, that’s when we are settled and no matter how many Wimbledons we win or number ones in the world we become, we don’t become ‘settled’.”
Rajdeep however apologized and said“ I must apologize, I framed that question very badly. I promise you, you’re right, I would never ask this question to a male athlete…”
Watch the interview yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbgyh0nNE7I
Recently, Hollywood artist Jennifer Aniston wrote a blog, criticizing years of inquiry of her figure and persistent pregnancy rumors. “For the record, I am not pregnant, what I am is fed up. “She quoted. The influential essay criticized the media for the constant objectification of her.
Nonetheless, the interview provoked sharp criticism on Twitter.
And that's how patriarchy cuts a 'sorry' figure. #RajdeepSardesai #SaniaMirza
— Vipra Shrivastava☀️ (@Vipra_s) July 14, 2016
https://twitter.com/Fashion101in/status/753542137434759168
I've not been a huge fan of #SaniaMirza but her reply to #RajdeepSardesai was a befitting slap on the face of the patriarchal indian notions
— Bai-lain-do (@SarinG17) July 14, 2016
Y is marriage & motherhood life's ultimate goal for a woman?is it the only measure of her competence & skills?@MirzaSania u r my new hero !
— Bai-lain-do (@SarinG17) July 14, 2016
Being a girl myself, why are we girls expected to start a family as soon as we get married? There’s no better motivation than famous public figures like Sania Mirza giving a slap on the face patriarchy that too on a public platform. ‘Settling down’ is not what they should be doing, just because they are married.” It’s your own choice as to when you want to start your family. Even the most educated and cultured of men continue to question women on stereotypes of ‘settling down, motherhood, and family’.
Being a mother is great. But what does it have to do with settling down? We, women, love the thought of babies, as much as we love our career. But then some of us love our career more, while many of us love babies more.
Every woman has her own choice and people still believe we live in a society where woman are considered to be baby producing machines. No!! We are way past that phase. Women have reached the moon but are still pictured inside kitchens.
Whether you are Jennifer Aniston or Sania Mirza, society is going to try to force fit you into a stereotypical mould of what a woman should be.
Let’s stand us against this and change the age-old notion.