An Experiment in this “Man’s World”

I love India, but one thing I cannot get used to is being gawked at endlessly by Indian men. My female Tibetan friends who have grown up here tell me that it is the same for them. India really is a male-centric society. Sitting on the subway or walking down the road, it doesn’t take much to notice that it is predominantly men. (Whenever I notice it, I hear James Brown singing “it’s a man’s world” in my head!) Women are usually accompanied by a man (husband, brother, son, etc.) or at the very least by other women. It seems like it is a social abnormality for a woman to be walking around on her own. Add to that the Indian fascination with white women. I read an article in the local newspaper written by a man who was arguing that the Indian conception of white women is based entirely on Bollywood films. In these films, white women are portrayed as being promiscuous – which isn’t hard when romantic scenes involve coy Indian women hiding behind trees and playfully running away from their (assumed) lovers. Kissing is rare, and love scenes are innocently depicted with bees pollinating flowers. All of this leads to a society that treats women, and especially white women, as objects to be gawked at and grabbed whenever the chance arises.

My all time favorite is when Indian men actually stop in their tracks and turn around to watch me walk past. The only time the special attention is remotely flattering is when school children come up to say hello and shake my hand.

I’ve spent the last two weeks in a small Indian town closer to the March to Tibet, where there are very few foreign tourists and the gawking has been especially obnoxious and annoying. So the other day I decided to dye my hair brown to see if it would change how Indians react to me.

My first day out as a brunette was a small success. While my new hair colour didn’t stop the men from staring, it at least delayed their reaction. A blonde head can be seen a mile away in a sea of people with black hair. Now with brown hair, I seem to blend in a bit more. It was a refreshing experience. Unfortunately, my pasty white skin still gives me away – I’ll keep working on that one.