{"id":4212,"date":"2016-05-10T07:19:11","date_gmt":"2016-05-10T01:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=4212"},"modified":"2016-05-10T07:19:11","modified_gmt":"2016-05-10T01:49:11","slug":"glenn-close-the-wife-tailormade-for-indian-wives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=4212","title":{"rendered":"Why Glenn Close\u2019s The Wife Feels Tailormade for Indian Wives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

R<\/span>ecently, while watching the Oscar-nominated <\/p>The Wife<\/span><\/i>, there were moments when I could see my mother, aunt, or myself in Glenn Close\u2019s titular Joann Castleman, the wife who sacrifices her dreams to ghost-write her husband\u2019s success. So much about the film is universal that it feels like the story of just about every woman. The casual sexism that women invariably endure isn\u2019t something that makes headlines in India but in <\/span>The Wife<\/span><\/i>, we have an entire film dedicated to what this persistent, <\/span>toxic behaviour<\/span><\/a> does to women.<\/span>\n\nThere is a potent scene in the film where Professor Joseph Castleman (Jonathan Pryce), the celebrated author, wants to thank Joann in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. His wife hates the limelight that falls on her as an afterthought for every glory that finds her <\/span>husband<\/span><\/a>. So she asks him to refrain from going overboard with his praises but Joseph eventually disregards her request, which culminates into a fight that comes with dire consequences.<\/span>\n\nThe reason why the wife doesn\u2019t want the praise however, has more layers than her preference to thrive behind the scenes. As <\/span>The Wife<\/span><\/i> unravels, we find out that Joann has done almost everything for her author husband \u2013 from breathing life into his characters to rewriting his lines and even giving up her own <\/span>writing career<\/span><\/a> to serve his. And yet, the laurels and fame were reserved only for her husband \u2013 she was merely a footnote. <\/span>\n\nThe reel story couldn\u2019t have been more real.<\/span>\n\nThe other day, my husband came home from work unusually excited. He had spoken to his mother on his way back and memorised the recipe of masala mamra, a popular Gujarati snack that involves puffed rice and spices. The moment he was at home, he stood hunched over the <\/span>kitchen<\/span><\/a> counter, cooking up a storm to satiate his cravings. <\/span>\n

His wife hates the limelight that falls on her as an afterthought for every glory that finds her husband.<\/blockquote>\nJust to be clear, there were no vegetables or gravy involved \u2013 \u00a0just some masala and mamra. Yet it looked like he had won a battle by the end of a measly 20 minutes. The whole <\/span>family<\/span><\/a> tasted his preparation and went nuts in praising their accidental MasterChef: some hailed it as a \u201cperfectly balanced dish\u201d while others incessantly congratulated him for nailing the snack in the first go itself. <\/span>\n\nIt took me a few more minutes to start wondering the last time I was congratulated for cooking anything. For the sake of perspective, I cook twice a day, everyday; I also prep for the dishes in advance and clean up behind everyone. Yet, my efforts are undermined because they\u2019re expected. Like Joann, I\u2019m just doing my job to ensure the <\/span>happiness<\/span><\/a> of my family. You know the scales are tilted when a hashtag called #husbandswhocook enjoys way more popularity than the everyday dal-chawal or spaghetti-making wives.<\/span>\n\nOn a slightly different yet familiar note, a former <\/span>colleague<\/span><\/a> readily upended her life and moved around the world because her husband kept getting promoted. She quit her job and took to freelancing in a new country. As educated as her partner, she has now decided to take up the next promotion that comes her way instead of letting her husband\u2019s professional achievements dictate her moves. But this time, the elders in her family are ironically questioning the need for moving countries just for a job. The layers of <\/span>patriarchy<\/span><\/a> are hard enough to peel in our society especially if you also take into account the subtle snubs that are reserved for women in each of these layers.<\/span>\n\nIn Netflix\u2019s <\/span>I Am Not an Easy Man<\/span><\/i> (Je Ne Suis Pas un Homme Facile), the French comedy\u2019s lead, Damien is a sexist man who whistles at women and makes objectionable apps at work that endorse the idea of male conquests. It is when his world flips to a matriarchal society and he falls in love with a woman who believes men are nothing but sexual objects that Damien understands \u2013 furiously enough \u2013 what it feels like to live with constant <\/span>sexism<\/span><\/a> thrown your way. The scenarios are brilliantly subverted: Damien\u2019s best friend transforms into a stay-at-home dad when his wife delivers a baby and then goes back to work immediately. Later, when Damien slowly starts to realise that only women reign in the world, he gets labeled a a \u201cmasculist\u201d or a \u201cmilitant\u201d only because he suggests that men should have <\/span>equal rights<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\n
Our roles in our homes are considered our duty, not an achievement.<\/blockquote>\nReality, however, is no French film. No matter how educated or urbane we get, women are still asked in professional interviews whether they plan to get <\/span>married<\/span><\/a> or start a family soon. We are unanimously chosen \u2013 without any official decree \u2013 to keep house and be the primary caregiver for our children, preferably the one quitting work to offer home our undivided attention. Our roles in our homes are considered our duty, not an achievement. And like Joann, we\u2019re mandated to serve our husbands, not our dreams.<\/span>\n\nIn about a week, the Oscar statuette may very well go to Glenn Close for what is possibly her career best performance in <\/span>The Wife<\/span><\/i>. It makes even more sense that the film arrives in an era that\u2019s tackling a hurricane like the <\/span>Me Too movement<\/span><\/a> and critiquing traditional gender roles. But for all the other women out there whose roles as the archetypal \u201cwives\u201d doesn\u2019t end in one and a half hours, the road ahead is uphill as fuck.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No matter how educated or urbane we get, women are still asked in interviews whether they plan to get married or start a family soon. Our roles in our homes are considered our duty, not an achievement. And like Joann from The Wife, we\u2019re mandated to serve our husbands, not our dreams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":4213,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[18,7601,7602,7603,3953,5256,7604],"class_list":["post-4212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop-culture","tag-family","tag-glenn-close","tag-i-am-not-an-easy-man","tag-jonathan-pryce","tag-oscar","tag-patriarchy","tag-the-wife"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Glenn Close\u2019s The Wife Feels Tailormade for Indian Wives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"No matter how educated or urbane we get, women are still asked in interviews whether they plan to get married or start a family soon. Our roles in our homes are considered our duty, not an achievement. 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And like Joann from The Wife, we\u2019re mandated to serve our husbands, not our dreams.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=4212\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arr\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-05-10T01:49:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1550550156.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"850\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Runa Mukherjee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Why Glenn Close\u2019s The Wife Feels Tailormade for Indian Wives\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"No matter how educated or urbane we get, women are still asked in interviews whether they plan to get married or start a family soon. 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