one of the hand painted tunics aesthetically designed to express the need for women empowerment. It highlights the stronger side of a woman and challenges the notion that a female is a fragile creature. The bubbles symbolise freedom whereas the red loop pierced on ear symbolically represents social constraints, oppression, and slavery; caught between the two she struggles and searches for her true self and gender identity ! 

*Note : You can purchase this tunic on low price ! ( Half of the profit earned out of selling these tunics is spent on underprivileged girl’s education)

Self and Gender Identity of Females and Empowerment Issue

With the advancement of time, man has progressed much in terms of technology and quality of life but when it comes to women empowerment, he is still enslaved to the age old concept of hegemonic masculinity and female subordination. The society we live in regulates the gender and gender relations in a way that renders heterosexuality not just superior over other forms of being but the only right and the ‘normal’ state to be. Since heterosexuality attaches prestige to male dominance, hegemonic masculinity is over emphasized in such a system. This in effect, determines the share of power or power dynamics between the male and female gender and their relationship structure. An unfair distribution of power oriented towards male dominance ascribes an inferior status of subordination for females. Hence, in such a system, a submissive and physically attractive female is considered desirable for and by men, and if the society promotes hegemonic masculinity , heterosexuality, and male dominance , then the attributes - submissiveness and physical attraction- of females are considered acceptable and socially normative. In order to gain social approval, females under such a system, feel the pressure to come up to standards of beauty and behaviour set for them by the society which is a male dominant one oriented towards pleasing men and their needs. While such an approach may be geared towards pleasing half a population of our society -men and might even be successful at it, the other half faces the challenge  of identity theft, identity crisis, and role strain. It is only too unfair to ignore and tailor the needs of half a population in accordance with the dictations of hegemonic masculinity. Reversing the dynamics of power, that renders female dominance over men, at the cost of disrupting gender role structure and gender norms might prove to be an equal but opposite issue. However, assigning an equal status to women and liberating them from undue social pressures to come up to unrealistic demands of men and society, giving them an equal access to opportunities and resources for personal and intellectual growth, and ensuring provision of Human Rights for men and women alike could potentially obliterate empowerment issues for females. Educating not just women but men too about Women’s Rights would be a constructive step initiated towards granting women respect and dignity they deserve in society.