The female of the species

ON STAGE

It was International Women's Day last week and I thought of looking around to assess how far women have reached in today's world.

Well, they certainly have reached all billboards, staring at the world at large in different stages of undress, advertising anything from automobiles to condoms; and the newspapers, and magazines and TV and "" the list can go on... That's some fleshy presence one cannot miss. Hail woman power!

And then I began a more focused search "" for the position of women artistes. You see, we are told, that there is a kind of emergence of women in all fields of arts "" but one does not really know one's position in the overall scheme of things.

Have we really emerged and made a mark? Have we broken the shackles of domesticity? Are they finally shaking male citadels?? In short, can we really pose a challenge to our male counterparts? Can we, against all odds? And then, I accidentally came across a poster "The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist", brought out by Guerrilla Girls "" Conscience of The Art World. It listed some of the following:

Working without the pressure of success

Not being stuck in tenured teaching positions

Knowing your career might pick up after you are eighty

Having the opportunity to choose between career and motherhood

Being reassured that whatever kind of art you make, it would be labeled feminine

Seeing your ideas live on in others

Having more time to work after your mate dumps you for someone younger

Being included in revised versions of art history

Not having to undergo the embarrassment of being called a genius.

And it suddenly hit me. Wow! I am part of an extremely privileged group and I didn't even know! You know how it is with us women, we are almost always complaining and negative and full of self-pity. That's why we miss out on what is so obvious to others. So I sat down to recapitulate my experiences as an artiste.

Well, I don't know if I can call myself an artiste, but let me be courageous and say so. So what if encyclopaedias and companions (you know, the Oxford variety) and the like do not list us, or any of the national akademies award us?

And the more I thought about this, the more I was awed by the realisation of our privileged position. There are so many more advantages that I would like to list here:

Advantage of being assessed in totality, i.e. having your looks and other physical attributes discussed along with/instead of your work

Getting the opportunity to sensitise yourself to human psychology "" more specifically the male ego ""when they are working with you

The privilege of being appreciated by a niche audience

Having the luxury of doing creative work in your spare time

Opportunity to perfect the balancing act between guilt and gratitude towards your family

Having the opportunity to practice the damsel-in-distress act to be able to handle the male co-artist

Getting extra time to think of your artistic activity in a sensuous environment like the kitchen

Having the pleasure of your children accompanying you to rehearsals

Getting your work noticed in the paper along with a picture of you in a swimsuit.

There are many more points in my head but I am getting late because there are guests coming over and there is so much to be done "" cooking, cleaning, and all that.