What the BJP’s Shaina NC really means when she asks if Mayawati is a ‘he or a she’

BJP spokesperson Shaina NC took a jibe at Mayawati saying that she is confused whether the BSP chief is ‘he’ or ‘she’.

She made the remarks while participating in Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) event at Jaipur.

What does Shaina NC mean when she says, smilingly, she doesn’t know if ‪Mayawati is “he or she”? Let’s unpack the “joke”.

Power itself is a “manly” attribute, unsuited for, Mayawati isn’t married, Mayawati has short hair, Mayawati doesn’t walk/talk demurely, Mayawati doesn’t dress in saree, so she isn’t a woman.

This is misogyny. It displays deep uneasiness, not only with strong independent women, but also with people whose physical appearance and personality don’t conform to gender stereotypes.

How scared some people are, when they can’t tell if we’re “he or she”! Misogyny and transphobia combined in a lethal cocktail.

Social activists condemned Shaina NC’s unwarranted comment against Mayawati, saying her statement is anti-women and shameful.

“This is deeply misogynistic and anti-women statement because it actually implies that a woman who is powerful, a woman who heads her own party, a woman who doesn’t wear ‘sarees or binidis’ or walks and talks in a way that doesn’t confirm to gender stereotypes is somehow not womanly enough,” said All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) Secretary Kavita Krishnan.

“This is a deeply condemnable statement, it’s shocking that someone who is a spokesperson of a ruling establishment, of the ruling party in this country and a woman herself is giving such statements. This kind of statement is specially ridiculous and shocking,” she added.

Meanwhile, National Federation of Indian Women general secretary Annie Raja said, “Shaina needs to talk about Mayawati’s political work, not about her gender. Making such a statement is insulting, unnecessary.”