We live in an era where societal norms are constantly changing. So, it is very surprising to observe that the younger generation has only some selective things they are ready to accept.
Recently the news of Sidhu Moosewala’s mother being pregnant surfaced all over the internet overnight. Although that’s not very unusual, what’s surprising and upsetting is the fact that several comments are being thrown and memes made out of the news shaming Sidhu Moosewala’s mother. It makes me ponder over the paradox we hold onto.
After the demise of their only child, Sidhu’s elderly parents were left with no support. Hence, they decided to conceive a child through IVF. Adapting to modern reproductive technology to conceive may challenge the societal norms that surround the growing landscape of family planning.
Sidhu Moosewala’s mother being pregnant holds such an emotional significance, not just for the family but also for Sidhu’s fanbase. It also signifies accepting change. His mother set an example of an evolving definition of what it means to build a family in any way they want to. We need to understand and accept that any path to parenthood is considered valid and deserves recognition.
We, the younger generation, have constantly fought and criticized the older generation for not progressing in areas like LGBTQ, and feminism or eliminating body-shaming and welcoming an era of acceptance for anything and everything. Yet, we are hypocrites when it comes to accepting something as trivial as giving birth after a defined standard age set by society.
Movies like “Badhaai Ho” talk about breaking societal norms, especially with the concept of unexpected pregnancies in older age. It depicted a great message of ‘embracing our shame’. You’d think that in a time where the younger generation gets influenced by watching a mere Instagram reel will be changing their opinion after watching a movie of 2 hours. It makes me question if we can ever accept unconventional life choices beyond the screen.
While we claim to uphold the principle of being non-judgmental, don’t you agree that at some point, when it comes to accepting something that we are not comfortable with, we think it’s ridiculous and make memes out of it? If this is not a double-standard thought, then I don’t know what is. Maybe, this is our way of not accepting something that isn’t usual or which is not commonly done before.
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Why are women always questioned about their choices regarding their own body and what she does with it? We blame the backward thinking of the older generation, but what about when the “gen-z” make memes out of everything and anything? Gen-Z talks about breaking stereotypes and yet when someone like Sidhu Moosewala’s mother takes a bold step, we can’t go through it.
‘Gen-z’ believes in accepting Western Culture and at the same time resists when it comes to challenging age-related norms. It is important to question why certain changes are acceptable while some are met with skepticism.
Through Sidhu Moosewala’s mother’s pregnancy announcement, we got to understand that there is still a long way for us to progress as a society. The rigid nature of accepting only what fits our standard should be eliminated.
