These Celebrities Talking About Feminism Is What You Need To See Today

Today, the 24th of January, is celebrated as National Girl Child Day in India, with the purpose of offering support, new opportunities and increase awareness about the inequalities faced by girls in our society. According to the official website, "National Girl Child Day is celebrated to promote the girls position in the society to make their living better among society people. It is very necessary to remove different types of social discrimination and exploitation that girls generally face in their life."

Isn't that just #Woke? Even when it comes to our Bollywood actors, there are many amongst them who have spoken out about women's empowerment and equality in recent times, using their fame and public voice to try and make a tangible difference. 

1. Kangana Ranaut: 

Kangana is someone who does not shy away from voicing her opinions, whatever the cost. While promoting her upcoming  film Manikarnika, she gave the following statement: "Growing up, I was considered a child hero, absolutely sensitive and obedient, but when I felt I needed to break free, I just took off. No one from the family was allowed to speak to me, but my mother would hide and call me and softly ask what did you eat? No other questions. In those days, I realised love and God is the ultimate truth, and both are woman. Since then I have become a firm believer of women power which can empower us. We don't need to empower them, they are powerful, and they are the very reason why humanity and human race exists. How can we empower them? We just don't need to suppress them, that's all. We need to recognise their subtle, sophisticated, and superior strength and respect that. Rani Laxmibai was a firm believer of women and their power, and she utilised it to the fullest."

2. Kareena Kapoor Khan:

Kareena Kapoor, who is idolised by millions of people all over the world, also hosts a radio show called What Women Want, in which she talks candidly about many issues faced by modern Indian women. Her feminist slam poetry from the launch was met with a ton of praise. Here's a paragraph from the poem.

Word up Kareena, thank you for saying it like it is!

3. Farhan Akhtar:

Farhan, who  has spoken out repeatedly about woman's rights, is also the founder of the MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination) Campaign. His statements and tweets such as this one, are bold, thought provoking, and just what our country needs.

 

To mine, to yours, to all daughters out there.. @htTweets @shammybaweja @MardOfficial @unwomenindia @glblctznIN #LetsTalkAboutRape https://t.co/Pn6EoQXpeG

— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) October 3, 2016

4. Shah Rukh Khan: 

The king of modern day romance, Shah Rukh Khan spoke out about respecting women and sensitising men in a recent interview.

“Respect means equality, and I don’t mean the social media’s #equality. To me, equality is letting you know how weak I am, equality is asking you, can you take care of me? This is what I’ve done with my wife, and my women friends because I genuinely love them,” he said. Highlighting the importance of teaching boys about gender sensitivity, Shah Rukh added, “I teach my 21-year-old son that disrespecting a person is not okay, and I don’t mean beating or the kind of things that #MeToo has brought out. I’m talking about basic respect.” Then giving his own example, he added, “I’ve been married for 30 years — I’ve never looked into my wife’s purse. I still knock on the bedroom door if she’s changing; I knock on my daughter’s bedroom door. They know it’s me, but this is their space.”

It's wonderful to see a national icon trying to promote such values, isn't it?

5. Kalki Koechlin:

Always one to speak out about what she believes in, and interview with actor Kalki Koechlin was featured in a book called Feminist Rani last year. Here are some excerpts. 

‘The biggest problem with marriage, especially for a woman, is the idea of ownership: that you belong to me; I own you. Once I got married, I was only invited to the things that Anurag was invited to. People would say, “Call Anurag’s wife.” They wouldn’t say, “call Kalki” or “call Kalki’s husband”. In marriage, a woman becomes the weaker sex, even if her husband doesn’t want her to. This happens because of the way society has built the institution'.

As we move on from one day to the next, not every day will be National Girl Child day. But, with strong voices such as these trying to make a difference, we can truly hope that the future of women empowerment in our country and the world becomes increasingly brighter day by day. Stay Woke, everyone!