More often than not, women have to adhere to certain moulds in order to be considered ‘appropriate’ in most parts of the world. And if you stagger an inch away from the conventional path, thanks to patriarchy, you’re in for some big trouble!
Taking a dig at just how the patriarchal Indian society expects its women to be, Nimisha Bhanot, an Indo-Canadian artist, has unveiled two series of paintings titled Badass Indian Pinups and Badass Bahus. In both the series, she confronts the stereotypical notion of the Bharatiya naari and rips it apart inch by inch on her beautiful canvas.
With dark complexion, henna adorning their hands and feet, sindoor on their foreheads, and mangalsutra around their neck, the characters in her paintings exude the sexual confidence that most Indian women possess but would never dare show it. They show off their tattoos with pride, and their guns in all its glory. They are sexy, they are Indian and they are definitely empowering.
Check out how Nimisha is redefining the quintessential Indian woman:
Not Your Mom’s Bahu
Nagini
Karvachauth
I Love My India/Watan Mera India
Ironing Out Wrinkles In Your Perception
Money, Kitty Parties & Clothes Is All A Bahu Knows
Beauty Of The Orient At Your Elbow
Sweeping Patriarchy Under The Rug
Paintings in this series are meant to confront patriarchal expectations of the Indian woman as a housewife by portraying her in a sexy pin-up style composition. Tattoos and revealing clothing adorn these rebellious housewives which appear floating in a background of loosely painted Indian motif.
Serving Looks, Not Nashtha
Pretty badass, isn’t it?
Visit her website to view more of her amazing work.
These pictures have been used with the artist’s permission and cannot be recreated.