“Don’t be so girly.”
“Stop being so tomboyish.”
“You need to put some makeup on.”
“Ugh! Stop caking your face so much.”
“You don’t wear heels, or what?”
“Why do you wear heels at work, ya?”
“I think you should stop wearing such revealing clothes.”
“You know a deeper neckline will do you good.”
These phrases sound a little too familiar, don’t they?
Since time immemorial, women have been hearing all these conflicting demands from everyone in their lives. Be it men, women, aunts, uncles, boyfriends, girlfriends or our very own parents.
If a women is being professional, she’s labeled as being too bossy. If she knows what she wants and is not shy to voice her opinion, she gets labeled as Miss Know-It-All. If she wears short clothes, she’s labeled an easy target and a slut. And if she covers up, she is a behen ji. There’s absolutely no end to the misogynistic treatment we mete out to women in all walks of life.
Daisy Bernand takes us through the conflicting demands society expects us to fulfill through her illustrations. Her work asks one important question: can a woman ever be right?
Here are her striking illustrations: