01 March,2009 07:42 AM IST | | Jigar Shah
THE eighth day of the month of March has been designated as Women's Day and the name of the month is appropriate u2013 women have been 'march'ing forward. We ask two Bollywood A-listers to delineate what they love about being women.u00a0
u00a0
u00a0
Katrina Kaif
"I believe that I am very fortunate to be a woman of today I can be soft and feminine and yet be a successful working-woman.
"I would like to think that I am a strong woman. As a woman of today, I am fortunate I had work opportunities, which I could work hard at; and make the most of. For example, when I first came to Mumbai, not knowing Hindi didn't hamper my life; there are enough people who speak English in Mumbai. But yes, it did affect work u2013 so that worked as an incentive for me to learn Hindi faster. I have been very fortunate to have reached where I have. There's absolutely no substitute for hard work if you want to achieve your goals, whether you are a man or woman.
"It feels good to be a woman when I dress up and put my best foot forward on the rare occasion. Having said that, feeling feminine and desirable is more about one's frame of mind; clothes only sometimes accentuate the feeling.
"I consider motherhood the biggest blessing for any woman. Children have this fascinating way of relying completely on you, which is both endearing and overwhelming at the same time. I love the fact that I will be able to experience this bond in my lifetime. It's also a huge responsibility to bear a child and I hope to be eventually ready for it at some point in my life!
"Another major blessing being a woman is our ability to express things rather than keep it bottled up. It feels healthier to vent out whatever is troubling you rather than allowing it to fester inside because if you keep your emotions pent up, it only comes out much later as something much uglier. I instantaneously vent out whatever is troubling me.
"Women have the knack of bonding with their sisters or making friends, with whom they can discuss anything under the sun. My sisters and my mother are my biggest support system. This is an immense stress release mechanism for the fairer sex; and I am really grateful for it.
"One has heard of the belief that if women ruled the world there would be no wars. Yes, women believe in dialogue. I am not sure if just talking always does sort out everything; but at least it's a sensible way to tackle an issue in a non-aggressive way. It is difficult to make a generalization but I am happy that by and large being a woman means that you are more expressive than aggressive. Aggression is not the preferred weapon for most women and neither is it mine!
"As a result of women's ability to talk and express, women are sometimes accused of being bitchy. But I can tell you this with great certainty men bitch as well ... just as much as women, if not more!
"I do appreciate the fact that as a woman, I can cry. A crying man is frowned upon in our society whereas a crying woman is empathized with. It's not really fair, but that's the norm. However, I appreciate an expressive man.
"To be fair to the man, if a woman is less prone to infidelity it's probably because there aren't as many suitable options available to the woman. Or maybe, women are more picky-choosy.
"Eleanor Roosevelt had said, 'A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.' I am not sure if being compared to any kind of 'bag' is a compliment, but I guess the allusion seems to fit me and my ilk fairly well.
"In my next life, I would like to be born as a woman again. Without a second thought."
Sonam Kapoor
"I love being a woman because we have the power of life. The best part of being a woman is that we share the ability to create life.
I'm emotional when something of consequence is happening in anybody's life. I'm a woman and to top it I'm an Indian so I have a ticket to be emotional.
"I cry at whatever I feel like crying. But I cry when I know it is not embarrassing to others. I cry in my own space.
"I like the fact that women can be emotional and have romantic ideals and yet be practical. Men are as romantic as women if you see, most of the artistes, be it Shakespeare or Guru Dutt or Raj Kapoor, were men. Both the genders are very romantic but men generally hide their feelings, while we women don't. As a person, I'm very idealistic and very romantic.
"I love reading about women from the past but I love being a woman of today. I think there is a cycle in the role of women over the years in life, the only thing that is constant is change. Yes, we women have changed in our fashion, in our body language, in the way we speak the language. We have become more expressive and more open about our feelings and have scored many hard-won rights.
"I particularly like being a woman of today because we are increasingly come into our own and we are being treated as equals now. My father (actor Anil Kapoor) never differentiated between my brother and me. All three of us are equally pampered while growing up. I have always been treated at par with my brother and there was no favoritism in my family. It's a thought that I am sure has not even crossed my parents' mind. We have had all the opportunities to blossom.
"As a woman, I am happy that I can say that I am independent. I have always followed my own way of doing things ... this is something every person should do. If you can't get what you want, you should learn how to get it. There are so many things that come in your way, bureaucracy for example, but we need to find a way around it. When there is a will, there is a way. For every problem, there is a solution and it is up to you to find the solution.
"While I assert my independence, I can also happily state that I love being pampered. Interestingly, we women also love pampering menu00a0 my dad, however independent he may be, is completely pampered by my mom. He can't do anything without my mom.
"Behind every successful man, there is a woman, but every woman is a success in her own right. We can take care of the home and a career we have proved that we don't have to choose one of the two.
"And the joys of being a woman are not all serious Oh my God, what joy we women extract from dressing up! I get a lot of happiness in decking myself up. I love dressing up. I like to wear a beautiful piece of clothing because it holds creative value in itself. I love shopping and if I am feeling low, yes, shopping might cheer me up. But I dress up for myself; I don't dress up for anyone else.
As long as I feel beautiful about myself when I see myself in mirror, I feel that I am looking good. I don't do it to feel desirable to anybody else. It's a great feeling when you feel good about yourself based on your own values. That is why I dress up a bit quirky ... I have great fun playing with my look."
"Would I like to be reborn as a woman? You bet."
-u00a0Bollywood News Service
