If we all had a penny for every time men in positions of power made sexist and regressive statements, well then, we’d all be playing in billions. But, it wouldn’t actually solve anything. Because while we’d all be rich, we would also continue to be miserable and women everywhere would probably have to keep settling for being rich but at a risk of grave gender inequality. But for real, the mere thought of male politicians saying uninformed things is infuriating!
The thing is, we live in a system that has been built in favour of men, that too, cisgender, upper-caste and upper-class men. So to witness certain men abuse the influence and power they so easily acquired is not an easy task. Nevertheless, let’s take a peek at some of the most sexist statements made by certain influential men.
1. When the Nigerian president made a derogatory remark about his wife
“I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room.”
-Muhammadu Buhari
2. When a Haryana khap panchayat leader blamed Chow Mein for rapes happening
To my understanding, consumption of fast food contributes to such incidents (rape). Chow Mein leads to hormonal imbalance evoking an urge to indulge in such acts.
– Jitender Chhatar
3. When Turkish President Recep Tayyip decided he knew what’s best for every woman out there
“A woman who rejects motherhood, who refrains from being around the house, however successful her working life is, is deficient, is incomplete.”
-Recep Tayyip
4. When Mulayam Singh Yadav said that men shouldn’t be held accountable for sexual crimes
लड़कियां पहले दोस्ती करती हैं। लड़के-लड़की में मतभेद हो जाता है। मतभेद होने के बाद उसे रेप का नाम दे देती हैं। लड़कों से गलतियां हो जाती हैं। क्या रेप केस में फांसी दी जाएगी?
-Mulayam Singh Yadav
5. When Daya Shankar Singh compared Mayawati to a prostitute
Even a prostitute fulfils her commitment to a man after she is paid. But Mayawati, such a big leader in UP, sells party tickets to anyone who pays her the highest amount. If someone gives her Rs 1 crore for a ticket, she will give it to the other person who is offering Rs 2 crore.
-Daya Shankar Singh
6. When Donald Trump said that women are manipulative for being feminine
Women have one of the great acts of all time. The smart ones act very feminine and needy, but inside they are real killers. The person who came up with the expression ‘the weaker sex’ was either very naive or had to be kidding. I have seen women manipulate men with just a twitch of their eye — or perhaps another body part
-Donald Trump
7. When the Health Minister of Bihar equated virginity with purity
Virgin, as per the dictionary, means an unmarried and pure girl. So all these words are not objectionable
-Mangal Pandey
8. When the former Union Coal Minister said that wives become bland and boring as time passes in a marriage
Nai nai jeet aur nai shadi ka apna alag mahatva hota hai. Jaise jaise samay bitega jeet ki yaden purani hoti jaengi. Jaise jaise samay bitata hai patni purani hoti jati hai, wah maja nahi reh jata hai.
– Sriprakash Jaiswal
9. When the chief of RSS, Mohan Bhagwat tried telling us that Bharat is a safer country than India
Crimes against women happening in urban India are shameful. It is a dangerous trend. But such crimes won’t happen in “Bharat” or the rural areas of the country. You go to villages and forests of the country and there will be no such incidents of gang-rape or sex crimes
-Mohan Bhagwat
10. When Donald Trump made a creepy remark about his own daughter
She does have a very nice figure. I’ve said if Ivanka weren’t my daughter perhaps I’d be dating her
-Donald Trump
11. On being asked about the women’s reservation bill Mulayam Singh said that only rich women are good looking
Bade ghar ki ladkiyan aur mahilaaon ko fayda milega. Humari gaon ki gareeb mahilaaon ko nahin. Akarshak nahi hoti… bas itna kahoonga
– Mulayam Singh
12. When SP leader Abu Azmi said that women who are raped should also be punished
If a woman is caught (in a rape case), then both she and the boy should be punished. In India, there is death penalty for rape, but when there’s consensual sex outside marriage, there’s no death penalty against women
– Abu Azmi
13. When former home minister of Karnataka, K J George said that there have to be more than 2 culprits for it to be called a gang rape
How is it a gang-rape if two people rape? Shouldn’t there be at least three or four people for it to be called gang rape?
– K J George
14. When former Andhra Pradesh Congress chief, Botsa Satyanarayana said women shouldn’t step out at night
Just because India achieved freedom at midnight does not mean that women can venture out after dark. They should ensure that they do not board buses with few passengers
– Botsa Satyanarayana
15. When the former chief minister of Haryana said that it’s better to get girls married off young
We should learn from the past, especially in the Mughal era, people used to marry their girls to save them from Mughal atrocities and currently a similar situation is arising in the state
-Om Prakash Chautala
16. When Donald Trump decided that the reason a lot of women were excelling on The Apprentice was because of how they looked
It’s certainly not groundbreaking news that the early victories by the women on The Apprentice were, to a very large extent, dependent on their sex appeal.
-Donald Trump
17. When Tirath Singh Rawat equated wearing ripped jeans to a lack of morals and values
Showing bare knees by wearing ripped jeans just to look like rich kids is the value given now which is just a race towards westernisation when the Western world today is following us. Ripped jeans pave the way for societal breakdown and is a bad example parents set for children
-Tirath Singh Rawat
18. When MLA Chiranjit Chakraborty said women should dress according to the occasion
A woman should wear different outfits for a funeral and a discotheque. What she should wear while travelling on a crowded train may differ from her attire at a party. Everyone knows that, everyone is aware of that,
-Chiranjit Chakraborty
19. When DMK candidate Dindigul Leoni compared women to cows
These days, women drink milk from foreign cows because of which they have put on weight. Those days, a woman’s hip resembled the number 8 (had curves). When she lifted her child, the little one stayed put on the hip. But now they’ve become like a barrel because of which women cannot carry their children on their hips
– Dindigul Leoni
20. When BJP leader Dilip Ghosh made a misogynistic remark about Mamata Banerjee
The plaster has been removed. A crepe bandage has replaced it. And she is showing off her leg to everyone. She is wearing a sari, one leg is covered, the other is uncovered. Have never seen anyone wearing a sari in such fashion. She should wear Bermudas instead of a sari if she wants to expose her leg. Then (the leg) can be seen clearly
– Dilip Ghosh
*Goes on a search to find the infinity gauntlet and snap the world into harmony and balance*