Could John Cena recreate his Oscar moment in India?

The first thing I saw when I opened X (formerly Twitter) was someone comparing something John Cena did at the Oscars to Aamir Khan. PACKAGE. Now this could be a lot of things, so I dug deeper.

It turns out that John Cena went on stage at the Oscars almost naked and with only an envelope covering him. Then it was replaced by a golden curtain, I mean.

“Would you have been able to pull off this stunt in India?” I found myself thinking while flipping through one PACKAGE tweet after another. Technically, of course I would be “able to do it”, but what would be the consequences? And what would you suggest? Let’s take a look back and see how we have reacted to similar things.

Maybe the first thing that comes to my mind now is Ranveer Singh’s nude photoshoot. While most people loved it (including the current company), there were different voices. Not only that, FIRs were also filed.

Singh has always shown himself to be deeply comfortable with his sexuality. He has consistently presented himself in a way that does not conform to “hypermasculinity” or even the type of masculinity that is expected of him simply by virtue of being a man. While some of us focused on that, others accused the photoshoot of “violating modesty.”

The founder of an NGO claimed that by filing an FIR, he was acting in the interest of women. To be more specific, he was acting on behalf of women who would be offended by the photo shoot and parents concerned about the influence it would have on their children.

And how can we forget the eternally meme-worthy: “We can see his butt!” moment on national television?

This idea that a woman’s modesty is so fragile as to be in danger during a photo shoot is incredibly silly. But the idea that a male savior has to stand up and protect them is even more so.

Most effective would perhaps be to challenge (or even dismantle) systems that allow people to violate other people’s consent with few or no consequences. Maybe we will raise our voices against the growing intolerance and fight to save the environment. Or wondering why women are not safe in public spaces (instead of blaming the victims and labeling them as anti-national for asking the question).

Maybe we’ll report people who make rape threats against women and children (something so worryingly common on social media). A nude photo shoot or a poster cannot pose greater threats to a woman’s ‘modesty’ or the future of our children than these. But they won’t cause enough outrage.

This is not something isolated. Let’s talk about the movie that came up in the conversation after the Oscars: PACKAGE.

During the promotions of the film, a particular poster showing an almost naked Aamir Khan generated massive controversy, more or less on similar lines.

Perhaps this is a twisted version of “worry trolling.” Instead of trolling someone under the guise of caring about them, troll someone with false concern for others, all to hide the real problem.

There is shame associated with the human body and “sexuality.” Anyone who challenges the idea is seen as a “deviant”; Someone who needs to be called out and shamed. This isn’t something that’s limited to celebrities either, and women and queer people often feel the brunt.

We fire FIRs against celebrities for posing almost naked (almost also being an important operative word). We shame women for wearing clothes they feel comfortable in and doing something as simple as dancing. We violently troll men for wearing makeup and harass trans people online simply for trying to express themselves.

Could John Cena do this here? Of course, but maybe he would have an FIR in his name because he could say “the Oscar goes to…”.

But this moral panic is not specific to India. People on X (formerly Twitter) have started calling the Oscars sketch a “humiliation ritual” (a whole conspiracy theory, by the way) and, of course, the phrase “real men” has been used.

And so has false concern for children. Should we instead focus on making sex education more accessible to children? Maybe try to equip them with the tools and understanding that would help them keep themselves and those around them safe?

Again, I’m sure John Cena on the Oscar stage doesn’t pose that much of a threat to modesty. But he is also a man who has challenged the idea of ​​masculinity that people expect of him and, above all, is comfortable with his body. It’s clear that he’s comfortable enough with his sexuality to be the butt of a joke at the Oscars.

The audience also laughed at how clearly the part worked and netizens loved Cena for the sport that he is.

And honestly, why is there so much indignation? We can’t even see it!