Why Are The Personal Lives Of Women In Politics Subject To Such Intense Scrutiny?

Women in politics

If you’re a man in politics, you can get away with watching porn in parliament. You can be caught on camera being absurd or stupid, but you will get away with a rap on the knuckles, if that even. Recently, The Finnish PM was partying, a right all of us have at every age. A video of her having a blast with her closest friends went viral and the opposition demanded her resignation because how can a woman have fun when she’s the PM of a country? Even if it is in her personal time. Closer home, Nusrat Jahan has constantly been criticised for her sartorial picks despite the fact that it has nothing to do with her ability to perform in her role.

Nusrat J Ruhii’s Fashion

 

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A post shared by Nusrat J Ruhii (@nusratchirps)

 

Nusrat Jahan Ruhi is an Indian actress who primarily stars in Bengali films. She was elected as a Member of Parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha in 2019 to represent Basirhat, West Bengal. The actor turned politician has always been under the media’s spotlight since the announcement of her candidacy. From the get-go, her reputation was clouded due to assumptions made by the choice of her clothes- often picked on the basis of comfort, we imagine. It’s her clothes that got people talking despite her professional accomplishments. In 2019, she joined TMC and won the Basirhat constituency by a margin of 3,50,369 votes. In 2021, Nusrat was honoured with “The Youth Icon” award at the 16th Tumi Ananya Awards soon after that she was awarded Mahanayika by the chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee. One could truly call Nusrat a Girl Boss!

In 2019, Nusrat and her colleague, Mimi Chakraborty, were mocked on Twitter for donning “western attire” on their first day in Parliament. A photo of two young, competent women joyously standing outside Parliament with their ID cards made headlines. All because they dared to challenge the norm and dress in what makes them comfortable. Why should a women’s worth boil down to her choice of clothing and not her accomplishments?

Sanna Marin: Finland’s Prime Minister who loves to groove to some snazzy tunes!

 

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A post shared by Sanna Marin (@sannamarin)

Finland’s Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, 36, formerly the world’s youngest head of government, was praised for handling the COVID-19 pandemic with ease, with Finland having the lowest infection rates in Europe. Finland’s decision to apply for Nato membership with Sweden following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was also seen as a power move. Ms Marin went into politics at the age of 20 and two years later was already running for a council seat in Tampere, a city north of Helsinki!

Despite her accomplishments, Ms Marin recently is in the news because a leaked video of the young lawmaker dancing the night away with her pals went viral. One would think, it was normal for a woman in power to do something as normal as dance with her friends; turns out not. She received hate from people not only from Finland but across all 7 continents! Conservatives from the opposition parties demanded Ms Marin undergo a drug test, the results of which were negative.

According to BBC, since the incident Ms Marin issued the following statement, “I danced, sang, and partied – perfectly legal things, I have a family life, I have a work life and I have free time to spend with my friends. Pretty much the same as many people my age.”

Because we women won’t take this lying down, it was quite amazing to watch as Finnish women came to their PM’s support posting videos of themselves dancing. Hundreds of women recorded videos of themselves swaying to some slick tunes in solidarity with Ms Marin. In the words of another icon, Regina George, that was so fetch!

Let’s just say that if that’s offensive then this fun little clip of Boris Johnson, practically grinding on this woman, that lives on my mind rent-free is probably just as bad. What a time we live in, where we question the capabilities of women and ignore the mishaps of men.

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