Surrogacy, Breastfeeding & Going Braless: Why Society Loses It Over Choices Of Modern Women

Kans, the wicked king of Mathura, had imprisoned his sister Devaki and her husband Vasudeva because oracles foresaw that their child would be his killer.

Every time Devaki delivered a child, he smashed its head on the floor. Kans killed six of his sister's children. When the seventh child was conceived, the gods intervened.

They summoned the goddess Yogamaya and had her transfer the fetus from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini, Vasudeva's other wife who lived with her sister Yashoda across the river Yamuna, in the village of cowherds at Gokul.

Thus the child conceived in one womb was incubated in and delivered through another womb.

Most Hindus are staunch religious people and believe every word of ancient mythology and epics. So, Devaki transferred her womb, but when Priyanka Chopra decided to do it, the moral police swung into action.

Priyanka Chopra recently announced that she and her husband Nick Jonas have welcomed a baby via surrogacy. But the Indian society couldn't digest it.

The 39-year-old faced disgusting comments that ranged from accusing her of ¡®using¡¯ another person¡¯s body in a bid to save her own from the pressures of pregnancy to questioning the ¡®kind¡¯ of mother she is gonna be.

The couple issued a joint statement saying, ¡°We respectfully ask for privacy during this special time as we focus on our family.¡±

But despite their request, Indians were quick to start a shaming debate.

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¡°Is this how she wants to keep her figure intact,¡± said one comment. Another person said women ¡®will not make good mothers if they don¡¯t have their babies naturally.¡±

¡°Rich people pay poor people to have kids for them so their bodies don¡¯t get wrecked,¡± one Twitter user wrote, remarking on Chopra and Nick¡¯s surrogacy child. ¡°Surrogacy for vanity purposes. It¡¯s exploitative & unethical,¡± tweeted another.

But who said surrogate babies make women less of a mother? Why must only natural birth define motherhood? Why do mothers judge each other? What about rights on our bodies? These are some questions that people must reflect on because even being a biological mother does not guarantee great parenting skills.

People got uncomfortable seeing a mother breastfeed

In yet another episode of Indians getting triggered because of something as natural as eating or breathing, people couldn't wrap their heads around a picture of Evelyn Sharma breastfeeding her baby.

Women's breasts are undoubtedly the most sexualised organs. Being trolled for posting a picture of breastfeeding your baby is an unfortunate experience.

The 35-year-old posted it with the caption, ¡°When you thought you finally established routine and she starts #clusterfeeding (emoji)!¡±

Some people just woke up and decided to bully her for posting the picture. One user wrote, "Why to post it with your baby, if it was your husband or boyfriend then you would have at least gotten likes and comments.¡±

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This, unfortunately, proves a point in how most men look at women's bodies and objectify them.

Public breastfeeding in India is still frowned upon. And there are all kinds of opinions, ranging from a mother 'flaunting' her work to questions like why do they need to show it.

However, Evelyn was not having any of it. To all these trolls, Sharma replied, ¡°Such images show vulnerability and strength at the same time. I find it beautiful. Breastfeeding is one of the most natural and healthy things to do. And it is why women have breasts in the first place. So why be shy about it?¡±

To bra or not to bra?

While most women have chosen to go braless -- thanks to nearly two years of not having to step out for work -- many people, including women, flip out when they see a woman not wearing breast covering pads.

It all turns into a huge gossip sesh.

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All people who wear bras would say that removing them is among the best feelings in the world. However, when Malaika Arora stepped out wearing only a sweatshirt and track pants, it resulted in tasteless and borderline disgusting reporting.

People couldn't help but troll her for choosing comfort overlooking "proper" -- because how dare a woman not wear a bra?

One user wrote, "Double Mask, Without A Single Bra.¡±

Surely not wearing a bra is not going to give anyone a deadly infection.

It's 2022, and women are still being targeted for choosing what to wear, who to marry, how to embrace motherhood, to breastfeed their child and the list goes on.

Surely, people can borrow a leaf out of women's books who dare to be themselves and choose freely.