My body. My mind. My choice.

Words that would not have been out of place in a feminist protest, these are the opening lines of the Vogue Empower video starring Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone. The My Choice viral video has garnered more criticism than it has praise, nevertheless, the hoopla surrounding women's rights and feminism has skyrocketed.

Feminism has become the newest hip cause on the block. Let me rephrase - feminism itself has existed since the 1960s, but has gained popularity in the South Asian subcontinent only recently. Ironically, the movie and fashion industries - all vying to latch on to the next big thing - have become among the first to jump on the women's rights bandwagon. In the midst of all the chaos, there has been a steady rise of feminazis - extreme or militant "feminists". This aggressive and radical group of misguided women have made gender superiority over men their sole mission.

This in turn has lead feminism to become synonymous with misandry, bra burning and statements such as "No. I will not make you a sandwich."

The premise of feminism itself is simple - commitment to achieving the equality of the sexes. The operative word being "equality" not "superiority", something most self-professed feminists seem to have mixed up. Misandrists cloaked as feminists have long disregarded sexist biases against men, and more often than not, actively contributed to them. It is not surprising then that "feminism" has become a pariah term of sorts that most men and women strive to distance themselves from. A lot of males assume that feminism validates women while emasculating men. That the rise of feminism has demoted them to second class status. That feminists hate all men, think all men are rapists and that all men are evil. Such negative connotations negate what feminism should be and actually is - a solidarity movement.

This sentiment was rightly echoed in the recent HeForShe speech, when UN Women's Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson eloquently stated "I am reaching out to you because I need your help. We want to end gender inequality - and to do that we need everyone to be involved... If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by what we are - we can all be freer and this is what HeForShe is about. Its about freedom." Simple words as a whole, yet powerful at its essence.

While the HeForShe campaign soared to great heights and amassed positivity and support, the My Choice campaign has been drowning in criticism. Directed by Homi Adajania, the video, while slick and aesthetically pleasing, lacks depth and substance. Choice - a dangerous word, is used with seemingly scant disregard in the video. Would a young, impressionable mind watching the video on YouTube be able to deduce that choice comes at a cost? That with choice comes responsibility and consequences?

After a stint tearing apart the BBC video, the keyboard warriors were back in full force dissecting the Vogue Empower video word for word and blaming everyone from the director to the actress. The denizens of the internet were particularly outraged when the voiceover stated that it was  "My choice to have sex outside of marriage". Would that same woman have accepted adultery on her husband's part? After all, it's HIS choice to sleep around. The video seemed rife with arrogant undertones. The "choices" superficial. An appalling lack of any mention of real issues: rape, female foeticide, harassment among the many trials and tribulations faced by women on a daily basis.

In an age where social media is used as a platform for change, little seems to have changed. Is the My Choice campaign perfect? Of course not. In fact, it has more holes than Swiss cheese. Could it have been worded better? Definitely. The probability of this video reaching its target audience? Pretty darn slim at best. But its a start. Especially in a country where a lawyer defending a rapist famously claimed that "India has the greatest culture in the world. Here, we have no place for a woman" the My Choice video is a welcome step in the right direction. 

Shamalee de Silva Parizeau

I like that women are starting to embrace their own choices and taking responsibility for their own lives. There were some things I didn't agree with - like sex outside marriage and having a baby being only a woman's choice - those choices need to be from both the woman and the partner as they affect two people (maybe I should just blame that on bad copywriting). So, it's great if they identified the thin but clear line between freedom and selfishness. In relation to not just this video - but feminism in general; feminism is great but it shouldn't isolate men and become a women's movement only; it should be a human movement.

Thilini & Malsha Walgamage

Even though we don't 100% agree with it, we think the video contained an important message which should be conveyed to the society (especially to the Indian society) which is that women are empowered to make the choices in their lives and that society nor the men/women in her life can dictate her identity/actions. However, at the same time, the message should not be 'feminazistic'. For example, we don't understand how it's empowering for women to have sex outside marriage. Feminism is equality for both sexes. So men cheating on their marriage can also be shrugged off as 'his choice'? We doubt that. But then again, it is your choice to embrace the message the way it is. Also your choice not to.

Tarja de Silva

I think it sends out a good message. Of course it is 'our choice' to do what we want in life. As a woman I don't feel this needs to be demanded - it is a basic human right. Good video full of metaphors and emotive visuals.

Gava Bolonghe

People focusing simply on the part where a woman talks about her sexuality in a broader video about women empowerment is unfair and narrowminded. The problem here is that everyone’s a step ahead of what she is trying to say: they assume she has already chosen to have sex outside of marriage or is denying kids to a man who wants 10 kids. Don’t read too much into it, it’s solely her choice.

Eranga Fernando

I feel like this will only enrage or annoy the people who already respect other's freedom of choice. The people who need this message are not going to watch this video and second guess themselves. Everyone should have the freedom of choice but they should learn how to not complain about how others/society treats them because of those. Just like how you have the right to choose how you want to behave, others have the right to choose how to treat you in spite of that.

By Rihaab Mowlana