Guwahati: Controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin said that if an aged person proudly says he is sexually active yet, it becomes a matter of great pride, but when a woman says the same thing, society will start hurling abuse at her.
Nasrin in a Facebook post said that an older man’s sex drive is a matter of great pride, but an older woman’s sex drive is a matter of shame.
“As long as this discrimination persists, the goal of women’s freedom will not be achieved,” she added.
Pointing out the patriarchal perception of sexuality, Nasrin wrote on Facebook:
“Even an octogenarian can play the trumpet and say, ‘I have more sexual stamina, I am sexually very active’. People are not surprised by this–No wonder these days though. Aphrodisiacs like Viagra can increase male libido at any age, even if the libido is gone. But if an older woman says, ‘I have a lot of sex power, I am sexually very active’, then the society of the Indian subcontinent shudders to think what will happen.
“Although it is very normal that women can have a good sex life with the use of substances like vaginal lubricants, even if the sexual performance is reduced. Even so, if a woman who has grown too old ever reveals that she is sexually active, her relatives, neighbors, and friends will all scorn her, even isolate her,” she mentioned.
Writer Taslima Nasreen made the comments hours after singer Kabir Suman said in an interview that he is still very much active in bed.
On his birthday, Suman clarified to Anandabazar Online that even at the age of 75, she is “ultimately capable in bed.”
It is true that the social structure has given men the freedom to openly claim about sexuality, but it remains a matter of suppression for women.
In some cases, this patriarchal concept is indeed changing, but its pace is very slow.
As a result, the thing that is a matter of showing one’s power by beating one’s chest for men is still the ultimate shame for women. The most recent post by the author of ‘Shame’ is about discrimination.