Today, dear readers, I am not giving you shirtlessness. Instead, I am giving you a video that has had a slow but profound effect on me over the past week and caused me to look at my dedication to the cause yet again. This video of Dustin Hoffman sharing what he learned about being a woman through the process of making "Tootsie" has been making the rounds on Facebook. I've watched it a few times and have been moved to tears myself because most of the time I feel like the "Tootsie" woman, the woman whose value may be disregarded because of the way she looks. I suspect that most women do. We feel this way because most of us don't look like Kim Kardashian or Katy Perry or whoever is on the cover of every magazine each week, and the truth is that these women don't even look like themselves when you take away the stylists and the airbrushing. And most women do have something to offer. Many of us even have a lot to offer. But to hear Dustin Hoffman admit that he was not open to it because of the way that they looked, well, that was profound. That he was determined to make the movie because of his own biases was impressive. How many of us challenge our own biases if we recognize them at all?
So then I asked myself how I feel upset about being judged for my looks when I actively promote the objectification of men through my blog? And my answer is that this blog has always been about pushing back against the objectification of women. Indians for Male Shirtlessness started as a response to the gratuitous nudity that female actors had to offer in order to satisfy the straight male gaze that is the presumed audience for any television show or movie. In my opinion, we have had to take it off forever, so perhaps the men could show a little skin and look good while doing it, thank you. Not to mention, that regardless of how any man looks with or without his shirt off, he has a higher chance of being heard than even the most beautiful woman. Finally, I do take care to mention the accessories to shirtlessness, my favorite one being kindness. But here's the thing, I hope this blog empowers women to look because so often no one really thinks that we are. Take the Zesty Guy, for instance - why not use some sex appeal to sell salad dressing? They've been using it to sell cars forever!
And let's face it, this blog has secretly been my way of talking about racism and sexism, particularly in the media. I'm pretty sure that no one would read a blog called Feminist Indians for Diversity in the Media. Or maybe they would just before they fell asleep. So male shirtlessness has been my vehicle to talk about larger issues. I hope that is a cause that you can continue to support. So enjoy the video of Dustin Hoffman. I welcome your comments. And just to be fair, here's a little vintage shirtlessness to stay true to the cause.
Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS
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