• Well-oiled, impeccably braided pitch-black hair flowing down to the last segment of the vertebral column (or beyond) and adorned with cords of Jasmine and Crossandra Gajras
• Spotless glowing face owing to excess turmeric complemented by a crimson red Bindi and gold-yellow Jhumkis and collar necklace
• Stunningly aesthetic metallic gold Zari accentuating the maroon Langa Voni (Lehenga Choli) augmented by the off-white Dupatta
• Sonorous sound from the bells attached to the chains of silver anklets and the clanking of glass bangles

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing to you a traditional Tamil girl who is considered “homely” since time immemorial!

If you are a Tamil guy of the 21st century, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you see:
• Freshly waxed legs flaunting Venetian red stilettos
• Perfectly French manicured nails contrasted by a jet black, wide cuff bracelet on one hand and a Piaget Jazz party watch on the other
• A picture perfect, well-contoured face – housing an array of M•A•C products – emphasized by cat eye makeup underscored by Persian Green contact lenses
• Contemporary French twist up-do hairstyle italicized by latch back earrings
• A square neck LBD (Little Black Dress) supplemented by a Sautoir Necklace and a Chinese tattoo on the neck
• A mug of beer on one hand and a state-of-the-art smartphone on the other

And the words would be: “Potential Target for the night!”

In this day and age – when we are exposed to so many different cultures – isn’t it the right of each person to choose practices that best fit his/her belief system and lead a gratified life? Instead of being forced to live by a rule book that defines how a Tamil girl is supposed to be and name calling someone who defies it?

Certainly, drinking and smoking are injurious to one’s health. Defining a drunkard or a chain smoker as irresponsible on medical grounds is admissible. But classifying the same person as bad based on the person’s lifestyle preferences is perfectly absurd.

It has to be agreed that some girls do display inappropriate behavior under the pretext of being drunk. At the same time, it has to be understood that these types exist among men as well, and there are many girls who enjoy a drink and bond with friends who become their BFFs over a drink.

Many Tamil girls these days – wanting to relax from the drudgery of their demanding routines – dress up, head to the pubs and chat with friends over a drink or two while listening to music of their choice. Wouldn’t people outside our country call this a normal social life? Why do Tamil men of the same generation make such hullabaloo over something that is a choice of an individual, be it a girl or a guy?

Also, targeting drunk girls in a pub as prey to men wishing to get “lucky” that night is utterly hideous. That again is the prerogative of the individual and does not necessarily need to be tagged on account of her being drunk and high.

In spite of struggling to be treated as equals, Tamil women are still dependent on their male counterparts in many aspects – and recreation is no exception. When at home on a lazy Saturday, if a free-thinking girl in Tamil Nadu feels like watching seasons of her favorite sitcom over a couple of cold beers, she cannot simply walk into a liquor boutique and happily walk away as if she has just purchased grocery. Rather, she has to seek help from one of her male friends (who wouldn’t judge her for it) to get it for her from one of the mucky TASMAC shops. There is no other way!

Even for ciggies, if she deigns to help herself and transfer a pack of Marlboros from her basket onto the billing area in a supermarket, the murmurs, disgusted faces and judgmental top-to-bottom scanning of the cashier and people in line would instantly make her feel like a criminal who has just escaped from the Central Jail.

Endorsing this inane perception is Tamil cinema, which mostly portray a woman who drinks as a glitzy concubine of fat-cat quinquagenarians (men in their 50’s) or an unsatisfied millionaire housewife sidestepping her unsuspicious spouse.

It cannot be denied that many Tamil men seek girls who drink in order to accompany them to pubs on Ladies Nights and to save up on stag entries by making use of couples passes for New Year’s… but definitely not to accompany them to get introduced to mommy dearest! Again, I’m talking about the majority here!

At office parties, when women visiting India from the company’s foreign branch have a drink or two, it would appear completely normal to local Tamil men. But in the same party if a Tamil female colleague has a casual drink, it would raise many eyebrows and become a potential “dhammu-break” (smoke break) topic for the men the next day at work. The same kind of treatment is shown to a Tamil girl who takes a puff in the smoking zone at work. Aren’t these supposed to be left to a person’s personal discretion?

To conclude, judging a Tamil girl’s morality from the mere sight of her chugging a beer or stubbing out a cigarette or from hearsay should not demean the girl’s virtues. It only reveals how unrefined many Tamil guys of this generation think in spite of being literate.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect TamilCulture’s editorial policy.