Gender and Society – NICKELED AND DIMED

Women and Romance: The Concept of a Soulmate

By — K.S. Prathignya Abstract: This article examines how certain romantic concepts such as the ‘soulmate’ often restrict the mobility of a woman’s autonomy. This leads to the strengthening of marriage as an institution due to the bargaining of a woman’s autonomy becoming a life-long process. Introduction Love refers to an emotion which includes strong…
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Fire and the Flames of Post-Colonial Feminism

By – Muskan Hossain Abstract Deepa Mehta’s Fire (1996) remains a landmark of post-colonial feminist cinema, challenging the patriarchal family and exposing the fragility of cultural nationalism. Through Radha and Sita’s intimate rebellion, the film critiques how women’s independence after 1947 remained bound to tradition and sacrifice. The backlash against Fire revealed how women’s desires…
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Over Socialisation mistaken for empathy: A critical analysis of the portrayal femininity in film

By – K.S. Prathignya Abstract This article examines how cinema portrays and promotes qualities of over socialisation as a part of feminine standards, but often describes it as empathy instead. It argues that this internalisation of gender norms is a gradual process. Through a cross comparison between two forms of cinema, there is a connection…
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Brainrot Humour as a State Apparatus: A Critical Analysis

By – K.S. Prathignya Abstract This article examines how humour is used as an apparatus to influence and control individuals using critical frameworks to specifically dissect brainrot humour, ultimately arguing that brainrot humour is used as a method to progress anti-intellectualism to maintain hegemonic standards. Introduction Brainrot is a genre of humour that originated during the…
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Gender Bias of Cancel Culture : A Witch Hunt in the Digital Age

By – Gauri Yadav Abstract This essay explores how cancel culture, once a tool for justice, now reflects the same hierarchies it sought to dismantle. Using Foucault’s theories on power and surveillance, it analyses how digital audiences act as judges in spectacles of punishment. Through case studies involving Depp, Heard, Brown, and others, it reveals…
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Liberal Feminism and Economic Hegemony – A Critical Analysis of Sydney Sweeney’s Bath Soap, the Commodification of Sex and Patriarchal Desire in Late Capitalist Markets

By – K.S. Prathignya Abstract This article examines the commodification of women’s bodies under liberal feminism, using critical frameworks to correlate it with the recent controversy of Sydney Sweeney’s ‘bath-water soap’. This article argues that liberal feminism places ‘empowerment of a woman’ on her body, however her body is sold for the male gaze. This…
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‘Adolescence’ as a Mirror: Decoding the Digital Subcultures Shaping Young Minds

By : Vaidehi Sharma Abstract This article examines the digital indoctrination of teenage boys into toxic masculinity through online subcultures, as depicted in the series ‘Adolescence’. It explores the Manosphere and the incel subculture, and analyses how recommendation algorithms can steer impressionable adolescents toward harmful online communities. The article emphasises the urgent need for parental…
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Sati, Savitri and the Modern Hindu Woman

Myth breathes in the fabric of everyday life, binding Hindu women to the timeless figures of Sita, Draupadi, and Savitri. In a world that celebrates their endurance while silencing their dissent, mythology becomes less a source of inspiration and more a mirror of control. This article explores how ancient ideals persist under modern guises, shaping…
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Rituals of Resistance: Women, Funeral Rites, and the Challenge to Patriarchy

This article examines how funeral sites in India are deeply gendered spaces and argues that women’s participation in traditionally male funeral roles acts as an everyday form of resistance to patriarchy. Using the example of the Salem District’s Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) women, it explores how the feminization of rituals can drive meaningful structural change.…
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Governance Feminism and the Paradox of Institutional Power: Janet Halley’s Challenge to Feminist Praxis

Janet Halley’s Governance Feminism examines feminism’s paradoxical institutionalization as it transitions from radical movement to governing authority. Analyzing cases like Twyman v. Twyman, this blog reveals how feminist legal achievements risk entrenching punitive systems, marginalizing dissent, and legitimizing exclusionary power. Halley advocates a strategic pause from feminist frameworks to confront institutional complicity and rekindle transformative…
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The Silence Spell

By – Muskan Hossain Abstract Throughout the course of history, women’s voices have been silenced, controlled and dismissed- whether through the demoralisation of ‘gossip’ or the policing of ‘TMI’ (too much information). Gossip, once a term with positive connotations signifying sisterhood, has now been rebranded as deceitful in order to suppress female autonomy, as can…
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The Gendered Panopticon: How Surveillance enforces Binary Norms

Foucault’s Panopticon reveals how gender norms function as invisible systems of control, compelling self-regulation through surveillance. Women police their bodies under the male gaze while men perform stoic dominance, both, internalising disciplinary power. Institutions from beauty industries to workplaces reinforce these norms as natural choices.
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