“I am the universe, infinite in every direction, this is my choice”
Four days ago, Vogue India released its women's empowerment two-and-a-half-minute video featuring 99 women, which included Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone. Since then, the video has gone viral, garnering 4,628,629 views and counting. The premise of the piece is that a woman has the right to make her own choices and should not face judgement — no matter what her choices are.
The collaboration between director Homi Adajania, Deepika Padukone and producer Sangita Jindal is a dedication to #VogueEmpower, the social awareness initiative from Vogue India that launched with the publication's seventh anniversary issue.
While some viewers praised the message of “My Choice” for women, others criticized the project, calling the short hypocritical and superficial. pinkvilla.com quoted reactions that state that the video is “a joke and a non-feminist video aimed at empowering none.”
According to bollywood.celebden.com, the director lashed out at the haters with statements on social media condemning “internet trolls hankering for attention.”
The negative reactions seem to derive from the fact that some viewers feel that the video missed the true meaning of "empowerment." Education, rape and domestic violence are some of the major social issues plaguing India, yet there is no mention of them in the video.
Columnist Shobhaa De, who is noted as an opinion shaper and social commentator, finds the piece amusing and states, “Dear Deepika, Great Hair and Exposed Bra Strap are Not Empowerment.”
According to De, what else would you expect a fashion glossy to produce? She further said, “Vogue promotes and projects glamour that blinds. Period. That is the glossy's USP. Geddit?”
Since then, a male comeback piece to the original video has circulated, attacking the "adultery reference," as call it, and promoting both genders' equality (youtube.com/watch?v=VhjOnXGXpHo).
Watch the video here, and you be the judge. Is it powerful or hypocritical?
Image: Vogue India
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