|
Geeta J, a former teacher who took to modelling
when she turned 50, says she wants innerwear companies in India
to be more inclusive and avoid featuring only younger women in
their promotion drives.
"Are women no more fit to become a lingerie model past a certain
age?," Geeta has said in an online petition on Change.org,
captioned with the hashtags '#AgenotCage' and '#LingerieHasNoAge',
which she started this year.
Her job is bold and unusual in the largely conservative Indian
society where religious and cultural norms limit women's freedom
to dress the way they want.
Such norms are even more restrictive for women over the age of
40, Geeta told Reuters in an interview.
More than 11,000 people have signed up to support her petition,
which is addressed to the chief executive of the popular
innerwear company Zivame.
"This will lead to a change in the mindset of people in our
country who think that after 40, women should dress and behave
in a certain way," Geeta said in the petition, adding that she
hoped it would lead to more companies following suit.
Geeta began her career after winning a runners-up prize in a
beauty pageant for older women. While her family and friends had
been supportive of her switch in careers at 50, however, she
said she was aware many Indian women her age would find it hard
to do so.
"I want to tell this to all women that they should care about
the dreams of their husbands and loved ones and support them,
but they should never think that their own life is not important
or their wishes are not important," Geeta said.
(Writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Ed Osmond)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content
|
|
