It is heart-breaking how our society glorifies overburdened mothers in name of selfless and unconditional love. Recently, a person received backlash after he shared a picture of a woman working in the kitchen while using an oxygen concentrator.
Sadly, this photo is just a grim reminder of of how our society expects women to literally put their life on the line to serve others. What is even more disappointing is the caption that the picture has been posted with. The user had glorified the act by saying how a mother is never off duty.
In this viral image, one can see a middle-aged Indian woman cooking bread ‘roti’ on a stove. This helpless woman is wearing an oxygen support mask and the oxygen concentrator can be spotted right next to her. What broke our heart even more was the fact that there is no one else in the picture who can be seen assisting her even in such a situation.
Wtf is this shit?
— Navin Noronha ???????? (@HouseOfNoronha) May 21, 2021
Let the woman rest jeez. pic.twitter.com/hnj2qRQyvp
Many netizens came forward to express their disappointment with the viral pic. People opined that it is cruel to make a woman work in such a situation. And, like us, many were disappointed in how society glorifies women working even when they are sick. Some netizens pointed out that the person who is old enough to share the post on social media, should have been mature enough to help their mother out in the kitchen.
How many homes in India have mothers not getting sick leave?
— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) May 21, 2021
Not sure if this lady is actually cooking with an oxygen cylinder near the gas stove (!) but even if it is fictional
Can this unconditional love trope that forces women to not take rest stop already? pic.twitter.com/jZLMVvKdV9
This is not love. This is slavery in the name is social structure. இதுக்கு நாம வெக்கப்படணும் சென்றாயன் pic.twitter.com/W72ZdlEhtc
— Naveen Mohamedali (@NaveenFilmmaker) May 21, 2021
I just finished convincing my covid postive friend that she needn’t cook, she can say no and it’s her right and need of the hour to rest. To think that this needs to be said ????
— Ranjani Subramanian (@Priya_Ranju) May 21, 2021
So Men cooking for the family is never an option?
— Abisheik (@AbisheikS01) May 21, 2021
It’s high time people stopped romanticising their mothers and their efforts, let them rest and heal properly
— pancake???? (@maavurundai) May 22, 2021
Duty as in “preparing food” is a sweeping generalization.
— NO FARMERS NO FOOD NO FUTURE (@vidyadharana) May 21, 2021
Highly stereotypical, sexist disgusting.
????
This just shows incapable children or child who is so selfish that even in such a dire health situation their mother is going through, cannot take the responsibility to cook your own damn food!But can post on social media? They deserve a slap ????????
— Madness (@madnesswien) May 21, 2021
Glorifying women’s misery ,sacrifice and pain is a norm in our country… “She is never off duty ” has been said proudly often in our society… The reality is you never gave a chance to her being off duty ????
— ऋचा प्रधान (@pradhan_rich) May 21, 2021
We are so used to glorifying working through misery in this country. It’s sickening.
— Navin Noronha ???????? (@HouseOfNoronha) May 21, 2021
This is criminal. Put all the family members in jail. And put her in a hotel with all amenities.
— KCT (@ketaki0805) May 21, 2021
If they can post a picture on the internet, I am sure they can also learn how to cook from the internet. Also, when they can take this picture from the mobile, they also have hands.
— Sundeep Sharma (@sundeepshawarma) May 21, 2021
We believe that this is not an incident to be glorified, but rather needs to be condemned. As a society, we need to make sure men take up equal responsibility as women in the house.