“padh Lee varna koi bhi apni beti se shaadi nahin karega.
beta, ghar ke saare bill bharne ki zimmedari to teri hi hai na,
Beta, jaldi naukari dhoon lo….
beta, tum hi apni beheno ki shadi karavaoge “
All men must have heard these sentences in their homes or neighborhood; some must have lived them too….
Equality is often spoken of as a principle. In practice, however, it is frequently treated as a narrative tool flexible, selective, and conveniently.
Over the past decade, public discourse has increasingly divided social reality into simplified storylines: heroes and villains, oppressed and privileged, progressive and regressive. These binaries are easy to sell, easy to market, and easy to amplify. Unfortunately, they are rarely honest.
This is especially visible in how tradition, responsibility, sacrifice, and gender roles are discussed praised in one context, condemned in another, and rarely examined with consistency.
When Traditions Are “Chains” Until They’re Celebrated
Public figures, particularly celebrities, are often presented as symbols of liberation. In early career narratives, traditions are framed as obstacles social hurdles that must be rejected to achieve independence, success, or freedom.
Later, when circumstances change marriage, stability, or brand repositioning the same traditions are reintroduced as empowering choices, cultural pride, or personal growth. The shift itself is not the issue. People evolve; beliefs mature.
The contradiction lies in how media presents this evolution: not as change, reflection, or complexity, but as ideological continuity. There is rarely any acknowledgement that what was once labelled “oppressive” is now celebrated without question. Traditions are not inherently good or bad. But selectively condemning or endorsing them based on convenience reduces social discourse to branding, not belief.
Advertising’s Favourite Shortcut: The Invisible Man
Advertising thrives on emotional shortcuts, and gender narratives are among its most commonly used tools.
On one hand, advertisements routinely rely on men as default providers, protectors, and financial backstops. Insurance ads, in particular, often depict families facing crisis after a man’s death with emotional messaging built around regret, blame, and “what he should have done.”
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/policybazaars-term-life-insurance-ad-faces-backlash-7797516
On the other hand, the same cultural space harshly criticizes men for embodying provider roles, labelling such expectations as outdated or patriarchal. The contradiction is rarely addressed.
Even more troubling is how sacrifice is portrayed. When women sacrifice, it is highlighted, honoured, and elevated as inspirational. When men work long hours in dangerous jobs, emotional suppression is treated as baseline responsibility, unworthy of special mention. This imbalance does not empower women. It simply normalizes silence around male responsibility while weaponizing it when convenient
Insurance Ads and the Morality Play Problem
Consider the recurring insurance advertisement trope: a widowed spouse lamenting that her late husband failed to secure the family’s future. The message is clear – responsible men plan; irresponsible men fail their families, even in death.
These narratives ignore uncomfortable realities:
- Financial decisions are often joint
- Economic constraints vary widely
- Risk awareness is uneven across society
Yet blame is personalized, moralized, and simplified because guilt sells policies better than nuance.
Responsibility becomes a one-way expectation, and context is erased.
Family Courts, Custody Data, and Selective Statistics
Few areas demonstrate narrative selectivity more clearly than family courts and custody debates.https://mynation.net/
Few areas demonstrate narrative selectivity more clearly than family courts and custody debates.
In many jurisdictions, custody overwhelmingly defaults to mothers – a practice rooted in historical assumptions about caregiving, not necessarily modern parental capability. Fathers who receive limited custody are later cited in statistics as “absent” or “uninvolved,” without acknowledging the legal framework that restricts their involvement in the first place.
https://www.bljlegal.in/judgement-update/child-custody-judgements/manoj-dhankar-vs-neeharika
These same statistics are then used in public discourse to condemn fathers for lack of responsibility, completing a circular argument where institutional bias creates data, and the data is used to justify the bias.
Pointing this out is not an attack on motherhood. It is a critique of systems that simplify parenting into gendered expectations, rather than individual responsibility.
The Real Issue: Narrative Control
The problem is not women succeeding, questioning norms, or redefining roles. These are positive and necessary developments.
The problem is selective storytelling:
- Equality when it benefits one side
- Tradition when it markets well
- Responsibility when blame is profitable
- Silence when complexity is inconvenient
A society serious about equality cannot operate on double standards. It cannot celebrate empowerment while refusing shared accountability. And it cannot claim progress while replacing one simplified narrative with another.
True equality demands something far less comfortable: context, consistency, and honesty.
Conclusion: Beyond Applause and Accusations
Social progress is not a branding exercise. It cannot survive on applause alone, nor on blame directed at convenient targets.
If equality is to mean anything, it must apply principles evenly across gender, status, fame, and power. Otherwise, we are not dismantling stereotypes. We are simply changing who benefits from them.
Publisher’s Note & Disclaimer
This article is an opinion piece intended to encourage discussion on media narratives, advertising practices, and institutional frameworks. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not target or generalize any gender, community, or individual. Examples referenced are illustrative of broader trends and not intended as personal accusations. Readers are encouraged to engage critically and verify information independently.
Stay connected for more update
16 Feb 2026, Written by Poonam Mehta
It is high time women understand that accountability and privilegea go hand in hand, you can’t claim victimhood and demand equal rights every where where you feel loosing
In Indian terms Equality can explained in one line.
As most Wymen says, “What is mine is mine, what is yours also mine”