Bollywood's outspoken and fearless actress Swara Bhasker is once again in the news. In a recent interview, Swara shared the difficult experiences that every girl faces from her childhood to young adulthood.
Entertainment News: Actress Swara Bhasker recently spoke openly about the challenges faced by growing girls and those related to their school life. She explained how girls in adolescence have to deal with wearing a brassiere and the associated problems. Additionally, she shared her views on molestation and other sensitive issues.
Sharing her experience, Swara said that when girls reach 11th-12th grade, puberty begins, and their bodies start to change. Along with this, they feel the need to wear a bra. She explained that initially, girls wear Rupa vests or other light vest types, then gradually move towards sports bras and normal bras.
Puberty and School Days
Swara explained that when girls reach 11th-12th grade, physical changes begin in their lives. At that time, it is a natural process for girls to transition from a normal vest to a sports bra and then to a regular bra, but society does not accept this easily. She mentioned that some boys in school used to keep count of which girl had started wearing a bra.
Girls would try their best to hide it so that no one would know. Even in summers, they would cover themselves by wearing a vest over their bra. Swara believes that this situation is extremely uncomfortable and mentally taxing for girls.
Used to Ask Dad for Sanitary Napkins in Codewords
Swara further explained that buying sanitary napkins or a bra was a very embarrassing experience for her, as most shops were staffed by men. For this reason, she would send her father to get these items. She said, "I hesitated to directly say 'bra' or 'napkin'. So, I had created codewords. For example, 'MP' for bra and 'UP' for napkin. I used to tell Dad, 'I need UP,' and he would understand."
Swara also mentioned that by sending her male friends for such errands, she checked which friends were trustworthy and which were not. When asked about girls' safety, Swara said that even if parents don't teach much, Delhi's environment teaches self-protection. She said, "If you travel once on a DTC bus, you will automatically carry a safety pin or some form of defense with you next time."
Swara shared a painful experience from her life, recounting that when she was 15 years old, she faced molestation for the first time at New Delhi Railway Station. A few years later, during her college days, a similar incident occurred in Daryaganj. She recounted, "A man grabbed me. At that time, I was with my boyfriend. I angrily grabbed his collar and hit him. A crowd gathered, but that day I learned how important it is to stand up for oneself."
