Prachi Nigam has brought immense pride to her state of Uttar Pradesh and to the many young students across the country by emerging as the highest scorer in the 10th state-board examinations this year. (File)
In 1912, in a pamphlet titled ‘Breaking into the Human Race’, Rheta Childe Dorr wrote about a young woman in 19th century Poland for whom success was neither swift nor easy. Dorr wrote: “Women, being a sex, are expected to conform to a type, and they are admired and respected in proportion to their ability to conform.” Facing persistent discrimination when she tried to get admission into higher schooling, the young woman’s journey to pioneering treatments for cancer and work in radiation sciences shows how societal constructs of gender can shape our identities and impact in the world. Through Dorr’s words, none other than the Nobel Laureate Marie Curie reveals to us how identity, especially as a woman, can hinder basic needs and wants.
Cut to the 21st century. We have now transcended, in many ways, in large parts of the world, barriers to entry when it comes to education. Today, I, as a woman, can exercise my right to pursue education and live a life of dignity. The ordeals my predecessors faced should have vanished as soon as our rights were put on paper.
Two young women — centuries apart
Yet, the story of another young woman with drive and ambition shows how little has changed. Prachi Nigam has brought immense pride to her state of Uttar Pradesh and to the many young students across the country by emerging as the highest scorer in the 10th state-board examinations this year. But it was not Prachi’s vision to serve her nation as an engineer nor her hard work that brought her attention on the internet — it was the way she looked. We were quick to comment on the girl’s lack of conformity to gendered norms and how she appeared “un-ladylike”; pointed comments on body hair, physical appearance, and the like were her reward for her accomplishment.
As Martha Carey Thomas writes in her work ‘Gender: Identity and Social Change’, women of genius and talent have faced a historical disadvantage. Nonetheless, the various ways in which women strove to realise their goals ensured that we, the next generation, are afforded relatively favourable conditions to pursue our goals and live a life not dictated by conformity.
Attention for all the wrong reasons
Those who trolled a brilliant and meritorious asset of our nation for failing to meet the standards of “what a girl must look like”, have failed these predecessors. Instead of being identified as an aspiring engineer, Prachi’s identity as a young girl who “cannot” conform to the “ideal norms of appearance” has taken centre stage. “If I had scored less marks, I would not have topped and become famous. Maybe that would have been better,” Prachi said in a BBC interview.
Why I am afraid
This episode has scared me. I wonder how many invisible barriers I have awaiting me as I enter the professional world and start building a life for myself.
My fear also emerges from the fact that bullying, discrimination and scrutiny can impact one’s psyche — the damage there is hard to reverse. A Lancet study on the impact of workplace discrimination on women’s mental health shows that even subtle words and actions can negatively impact our sense of well-being and success.
These biases are not limited to the trolling that Prachi faced. They cut across various communities, manifesting in discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, people of colour, and women with disabilities.
Why I will go on anyway
Though these instances have overwhelmed me, I refuse to let them alter my vision or my identity. I am reminded of the young girl in Warsaw who went from knocking on the doors of schools to redefining physics and chemistry. The urge to dismantle the structures that tie our worth to how we look is stronger now than ever before.
The writer is a student at Miranda House, University of Delhi
