Now that we are in 2021, the society claims to have an unconventional mentality. But, when we talk about women, we keep forgetting that more than the times I forget to carry my umbrella during Mumbai monsoons.
When has our society not blamed the woman for a man’s decisions? Here are instances of how society has, quite illogically I may add, made women the scapegoat for men’s actions:
1. Samantha Prabhu is being blamed for her mutually consentual divorce with husband Naga Chaitanya.
According to some local press Samantha’s friendship with Preetham Jukalkar, who also happens to be her stylist, has caused a rift between their marriage, resulting in a divorce.
2. Fatima Sana Sheikh was being blamed for Aamir and Kiran’s divorce.
People speculated that Fatima was responsible for their divorce or that she is now happy since she can marry Aamir. Both opinions are absolutely vile.
3. Rhea Chakraborty was vilified by most of the mainstream news channels and was blamed for Sushant’s alleged drug use and even suicide.
Rhea Chakraborty, the prime accused, was interrogated by both the ED and the CBI but, as of today, has not been convicted of any crime by the two agencies. Her only conviction, so far, has been over procurement for drugs, allegedly for Sushant.
4. Meghan Markle was solely blamed when both Prince Harry and she together decided to step back from their role as ‘Senior Royals’. Tabloids infamously calling it ‘Megxit’.
5. Anushka Sharma was blamed for Virat Kohli’s poor performance on-field.
Even before Anushka and Virat officially tied the knot, people were quick to troll Anushka every time Virat played performed badly on the field. Even leading newspapers indulged in this behavior.
The trolling was so extreme, that eventually, Kohli took to Instagram to call out this behavior.
6. Former girlfriend blamed for man’s decision to join a terrorist organization.
Most headlines focused on just his ‘failed love affair’, almost completely disregarding his actions and personality traits.
6. Former girlfriend blamed for man’s decision to join a terrorist organization.
People were quick to believe that a recent photoshoot with his girlfriend distracted him from the game, forgetting that he, unlike most women across the globe, had the option to say no for the shoot.
Below is an excerpt from the Mashable, where fans who started a GoFundMe campaign to break up Ciara and Russel were referred to as ‘well-meaning’ supporters.
Below is an excerpt from Eric Mandel’s article, for mynorthwest.
As this screenshot shows, people from all genders enable patriarchy, because that’s how deep-rooted/internalized it is.
8. Priyanka Chopra was called a ‘global scam artist’, who hoodwinked Nick Jonas into marrying her.
The article was later pulled down, and the writer apologized for her remarks, that were deemed to be both, sexist and racist.
9. Yoko Ono, Lennon’s partner, was blamed for the split of The Beatles.
One of the earliest cases of ‘women blaming’, The Beatles‘ split was blamed on Lennon’s ex-wife Yoko Ono. Fans continued to believe in this theory for years, despite former Beatles member McCartney stating that it wasn’t true.
10. Angelina Jolie was called a ‘homewrecker’, when Brad Pitt divorced Jennifer Aniston and started dating Jolie.
When rumors of Brad Pitt dating Angelina Jolie surfaced, people were quick to blame Jolie for destroying Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s marriage.
Jolie alone was not the one who had an affair, but she alone was the one blamed for it. Furthermore, it was Pitt’s decision to divorce Aniston because he no longer loved her. It was not a result of Jolie’s ‘machinations’ – a fact he had to publically clarify.
Why is so difficult for the world at large to accept that just because two people are in a relationship, does not mean that they run each other’s lives?
This behavior steeps into a culture of victim-blaming and slut-shaming, that further restricts women from asserting themselves. It’s 2020, but clearly, patriarchy is well and truly alive.