Priyanka Chopra Is My Definition of Feminism

Priyanka Chopra believes in getting a job because, and simply because, she is good at it.

I have many heroes. From startup founders to social change makers to self made successes. But in this long list, Priyanka Chopra deserves a special mention. Of course, she got a springboard when she won the title of Miss World in 2000. But that was 16 years ago. Everything else she achieved later was a result of her hard work and her unflinching belief in herself.

As a woman, what I find incredible is that the actress has always maintained that she shouldn’t be given an opportunity because she is a woman, but because, and simply because, she is good for the job. That, she says, is her definition of feminism. And mine too.

A feminist is just a person who is saying ‘give me my right according to my merit and don’t see me as a woman or a man’. 

Priyanka Chopra to NDTV

The actress said this in an interview to NDTV’s Barkha Dutt. She didn’t delve into the politics of gender on this point, and simply said that merit should determine the worth of a person instead. A person’s ability to deliver results. Not their age, gender, or race.

‘Give me my right according to my merit’, she says

And that is exactly what I subscribe to.

She isn’t Interchangeable

After acting in over 50 films, delivering numerous powerful performances and becoming the international star that she is, the actress has proved this point beyond any doubt.

That she isn’t one to be replaced. As women, we often have to make our mark in unforgiving industries, one where even after putting in so much hard work, we can be dismissed saying we got ahead because we had it easy. Haven’t you heard the rumours about the top women in your industry, which say they got their way to the top by sleeping their way up? For us to be able to thrive, and not simply survive, it is important that we are the best people to do the job and that we work incredibly hard. Even then, don’t consider yourself insulated from all the snide commentary.

She Is Never Satiated

As women, one is often told, ki arrey, you are now earning a handsome salary, you have a good position, why are you still pushing yourself?

Ambition is not exactly a celebrated virtue for a woman. And I like Priyanka exactly because this is a characteristic she possesses in abundance. I like her drive. To achieve bigger and bigger things. About never being satisfied. About pushing herself harder and harder.

Not to reach a point. Because no matter what you achieve, there are bigger heights to scale. Women should be as hungry, as greedy as men. Their nobility shouldn’t be questioned for it.

She Buys Her Own Diamonds

My favourite bit about Priyanka is this badass quote from an earlier interview of hers to Filmfare, where she said she didn’t need a man to buy her diamonds, and that she was financially independent enough to take care of herself. Because as women, we are often told and sold the idea that we will have a dream man, our own customised rajkumar, who will buy us jewellery and Louboutins.

But here is this woman saying you don’t need a man to buy you things. You need a man just because he is nice to you. The only reason you should be with a man is for love. Marriage isn’t a career for Priyanka. That doesn’t imply that she is against the idea of the institution. To me, just like Virginia Woolf wrote in 1929, “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction”. Today a woman must have her own bank account and linen, before she is to get married.

That’s exactly what the woman stands for. And maybe because of this spirit of hers, I like Priyanka Chopra the woman more than Priyanka Chopra the star.