Girl power: Veena fights back

LAHORE: Veena Malik is on fire, and in more ways than one. Pakistani society, television and cyberspace burst into feverish activity defending the damsel who a few weeks ago was being condemned and censured for her contentious behaviour on “Bigg Boss 4” in India.

In a heated debate two nights ago on prime television, Malik emerged as the true champion for women in the country by redefining the Pakistani woman as an audacious and independent thinker.

To quote Salim, a retailer’s facebook status “Veena Malik - the answer to mullay gardi!”, agriculturalist Farhan’s status “Veena Malik you rule!! (I am) superbly impressed by you. You have really gone up in my list , (because of) the way you handled the questions and really gave it to the lousy maulvi! And event manager Imtisal Zafar’s simple “Veena Malik. Respect” is a telling response to the dramatic transformation of Malik’s image in the Pakistani urban male psyche that typically view women either as a saint or a sinner with no grey areas in between.

Till two nights ago, she was a shameless vixen who had soiled Pakistan’s image by romancing with Indian actors in a third rate show. Few at that point saw her just as contestant at a show trying her level best (or worst depending on how you see it) to win. But her strong will and her ability to stand tall despite these accusations and abuse were over shadowed by the tinted veneer of false modesty that we ascribe to. It is ironic that it is her same will and audacity that has now made her a champion as she defended herself with dignity in front of an inane Mufti. “Why Veena Malik? Because she is a woman? Because she is a soft target?” she asked. These are questions that we should all be asking as to why we had pointed fingers at her in the first place.

Mufti’s condescending come back of how would Malik answer her son, father, brother or husband about her role, is a repugnantly convenient burden off loaded onto women.

Malik has bravely ventured into a territory that no woman has dared to before and by declaring that “it is my right to look good” she has inadvertently become an important icon. The fact that designer Feeha Jamshed’s status says “I am Veena,” speaks volumes of the lady’s new avatar as the messiah for women cloistered by culture, tradition and hypocritical confines of propriety.

What Malik has done in effect is to shake women from their reverie and jolted them from their social coffins to come out and be themselves. The self that they are and not the self that their father, brother or husband want them to be.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2011.