Delhi: ‘Matrimonial ad by a feminist’ is an oxymoron. Many of these advertisements are sexist and casteist, emphasizing caste, class, height, skin color, salary as well as other wealth-related attributes to hook their potential spouses. After comedian Aditi Mittal tweeted about the ad, a matrimonial advertisement ‘by a feminist’ went viral.
The advertisement read: ‘Match for opinionated feminist. 30+ educated girl with short hair and piercings, working in the social sector. The ideal candidate would be handsome, well-built, 25-28 years old, only son with an established business, bungalow/farm with at least 20 acres. Should know how to cook. Farters/burpers are not allowed. Please contact curbyourpatriarchy@gmail.com’.
The advertisement, obviously fake, was meant to bring attention to the sexist and misogynistic nature of matrimonial advertisements. Under the pseudonyms Sakshi, her brother Srijan, and her best friend Damyanti, the owners of curbyourpatriarchy@gmail.com told BBC that the email was a birthday prank played on Sakshi.
Did someone put out a matrimonial ad for me pic.twitter.com/DKsbk0iijT
— Aditi Mittal (@awryaditi) June 15, 2021
‘Turning 30 is a milestone, especially since so many people in our society talk about marriage. As you reach 30, society and family start to push you to settle down and get married’, Srijan said. However, once the advertisement went viral, it reopened the debate about sexism and misogyny in matrimonial ads. In addition to many supportive emails, Sakshi has received numerous hate emails, including feminism-bashers and trolls who sent death threats over a prank.
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[The ad] was satirical statement on this narrative, and I assume that the people getting triggered are the same people who put out these kinds of ‘fair, slim, beautiful bride wanted’ ads in the first place. The author asks those upset by the obvious joke: ‘Do you send the same triggered emails to all the sexist, casteist ‘bride wanted’ ads that appear in the newspapers every day? If not, then you need to curb your patriarchy’.
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