Myntra, a fashion e-retailer recently made the headlines for its compliance to changing its logo when a Mumbai-based activist lodged a complaint of it being inappropriate, offending women’s sentiments and instigating sexual desires amongst men. And the Myntra logo change has led several people to be skeptical about its need or why was it even considered.
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The Myntra Logo controversy
The matter about the prospect of Myntra logo being obscene was filed by Naaz Patel associated with Avesta Foundation, last month. According to specific reports, the complaint reportedly says that the ‘the deliberate placement of the colour scheme’ of the letter ‘M’ is ‘provoking’ as it depicts a woman’s vagina.’ She went as far as saying that the logo can corrupt the mind of the youth and even excite them and ‘further victimise women.’
The Avesta Foundation certainly attained success for what they had sought out for. Then again, it begs the question of what is that this change implied and was this change a real necessity.
Congratulations to our founder. She did it what apparently seemed impossible. Thank you everyone for your support. We’re overwhelmed by the response. Kudos to @myntra for addressing the concerns and respecting the sentiments of millions of women. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Iwb4e3LoLq
— Avesta Foundation (@Avestaonline) January 30, 2021
The Reason
In the view of Ms. Patel regarding the logo, it could instigate sexual desires amongst the youth, especially men, towards women. She imagined the logo depicted a woman with her legs spread and her nether regions in full view of the world to see and lust over. Her opinions based on the idea that even a slight perception of women in a bare state, even being vague at best or even lack thereof, could shake the grounds of men and force them to act questionably and disgustingly.
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The debate
This entire matter has taken social media by storm, most ridiculing the company for even considering changing the logo. The concerned foundation and Ms. Patel haven’t been commenting on the event, instead letting it just tide over. What really intrigued me about this issue was instead the abrupt and imaginative basis of the case and the claims of the repercussions of the logo. Personally, the instigating of desires just because of the logo felt a little far fetched idea and based on the same notion which dictates the belief held by the traditionalists who
consider that women acting and dressing in a certain way would institute desire.
The fact that throughout the years women have tried so hard to force the mentality out of the head of men and society that them dressing in a certain way does not lead to rapes and sexual harassment and that instead, it is the mindset and mentality along with their hideous way of perceiving women as an object of desire from the very start instead of just what they wear at the particular moment that roots the entire
problem.
I feel like we are still trying to justify men’s action and even time women in sexually harassing the victim by giving excuses and pushing the blame on to the victim themselves. Be it just a logo which a product of someone’s imagination and perspective or only their clothing which shows skin are all akin on baseless excuses to render actual arguments null.
The funniest thing about this whole Myntra thing is that, even though I highly doubt that many minds went there in the first place, you can’t really unsee it anymore. And the new logo isn’t enough of a redesign to ever change that association now. pic.twitter.com/hCNvaNf5eC
— Sahil Rizwan (@SahilRiz) January 30, 2021
A Twitter user even points out the issue with the entire argument. The Myntra logo was not something that even has a penchant of sexual appeal but it was a matter of interpretation that escalated the small matter.
Feminists vs. Feme ‘nazis’
Indians’ sentiments get hurt by books, movies, food and logos — but not by the suffering of fellow Indians through bigotry, violence, casteism and harassment.
— Wear a mask. Covid kills. (@AnantRangaswami) January 31, 2021
A completely new definition of the word ‘feminism’ and ‘feminists’ has been going around the world with people denoting it with what they consider accurate, which in all senses are utterly different from what it actually entails. This changing of the logo has opened an entirely new realm of what feminism means and what rights or humanitarian action women sought against the years of oppression we’ve suffered. We have men dissecting the term as what in reality is pseudo-feminism, where they consider women who identify as feminists seek superiority to men. This has given rise to the term ‘feme-nazi’ to denote women who justify their hate for all thing men in terms of equality. The worst thing that has been birthed by this trend is how little now women want to identify as feminists in the fear that their beliefs would be made fun of in front of everyone.
And this event has dissuaded the men even more from understanding the proper etymology of the term. Feminists are being ridiculed across the country. People mock that ‘women are now so fragile that they think we would be provoked by it (logo).’ This has tarnished the issues and problems that feminists actually stand for.
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Myntra Logo Change: The Real Debate
The debate still rages on, and the memes would keep going on but maybe beneath all these controversies and ridicule, matters and issues that really needed the momentum failed to garner the support. They would be buried within the case that revolved in the problems of an imaginative logo. Rape, sexual harassment, domestic violence and discrimination continue persistently but, obviously, they do not get the attention that it needs nor do manage to grasp the attention of the public.
A very controversial decision of Bombay High Court where they declared that groping without skin-to-skin contact won’t be considered sexual harassment anymore was made recently. This is the issue that feminists talk, take and fight against, not a mere logo. But like all real issues in India, this didn’t manage to draw eyeballs from the audience, we didn’t witness long debates on television nor did it trended for hours end on Twitter; it was another issue that had to be pushed forcefully to be reconsidered because at the end it allowed groping a minor as entirely legal.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Bombay high court order which acquitted a man under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act saying groping a minor’s breast without “skin-to-skin contact” cannot be termed as sexual assault.https://t.co/yrFBWj2pQW
— The Wire (@thewire_in) January 27, 2021
With the points bearing in mind we really need to think and mull over; what is more offending and obscene: a logo or a minor being freely groped with no legal backing?
Disclaimer: All views expressed are personal to the writer and don’t represent the opinions of the entity.
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Currently a Journalism student at Delhi University, she hopes to write the next bestselling book with
mystical creatures and sparkling nights.
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