📌 Key Points
- Malaika Arora highlights the gender disparity in questions about aging and appearance in showbiz.
- She notes men are rarely asked if they still feel beautiful or desirable as they age, unlike women.
- Arora emphasizes mental and emotional well-being, and inner drive over just physical looks.
- She believes passion for one’s work is more important than age or superficial numbers.
Veteran actor-entrepreneur Malaika Arora has voiced strong opinions on ageism in the entertainment industry. She critically observes that only women are constantly questioned about their age and appearance, while men are largely exempt from such scrutiny, highlighting a significant gender bias.
Malaika on Ageing: A Double-Edged Sword
Actor-entrepreneur Malaika Arora led her life on her own terms as she stepped into showbiz, and continues to do it after almost 30 years of being here. In the public eye since she was in her 20s, there has been a lot she has seen change. Except one thing.
In conversation with Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor, Entertainment and Lifestyle on The Right Angle show, she said people still place the pressure of looking a certain way only on women. Asked whether the thought of ageing crosses her mind, even as her fitness and looks are still praised, she said, “ Now that’s a double-edged sword. There are days when it does cross my mind, where I do wonder or question the obvious. And then there are days where I don’t. I just don’t care because I am doing what I love, I am enjoying it, and I feel like I am in my prime. I am hungry and wanting to do so much, so it doesn’t really affect me. ”
Gender Bias in Showbiz Scrutiny
But she feels men too should be asked the same question. “I feel women are constantly asked this question. Very rarely is a man asked any of these things. A woman who is asked, “At your prime you were like this, and now you are at this age, so how does it feel? Do you still feel beautiful? Do you still feel desirable?” I’ve never heard anybody ask a man this question. Women are always subjected to this test of looking a certain way,” she confessed on the show.
Beyond Appearance: What Truly Matters
Malaika asserts that rather than discussing age and numbers, what’s more important is whether any person still feels excited to get out and do what they love. She added, “At the end of the day, it’s not just the physical appearance. Yes, that’s what the world sees, but I feel you have to balance it out with how you are feeling- mentally, emotionally. What is it that drives you? What is it that pushes you out of bed every single day and says, “Go out there and seize the day”? It’s not just every time I look in the mirror that I am thinking, “Oh, wow, I look good.” That’s not how I wake up. I just have to wake up every day and say, “Today is a new day and I want to seize it and make the most of it, and I want to be able to create something and build some sort of a legacy that I, my child, and my family are proud of.”
Malaika Arora’s candid remarks shed light on the pervasive age and gender bias in showbiz. Her call to focus on passion and inner drive rather than superficial age-related questions offers a refreshing perspective for both individuals and the industry.
