A woman embracing her sexuality is still frowned upon - even in the West

It’s OK for men, so why not for females? Instead, it is just treated as a joke, says Naina Bhardwaj

Indian feminist film Lipstick Under My Burkha has finally been cleared for release in India after concerns that it was too “lady-oriented” and contained sexual scenes and abusive language.

Never have I seen any of these being issues in the multi-billion pound Bollywood industry, where the leads have always been male.

The film, which has won several film festival awards, follows four “feisty” women as they fight to pursue their dreams and desires.

Director Alankrita Shirvastava said in an interview: “The women live in a small town, with their small dreams, they have very suffocating and restricted lives and the film is about how they fulfil their dreams.”

Female sexuality remains a taboo everywhere – including the West. Whilst the need for feminism is finally being recognised and treated respectfully by most, the implication of females even daring to think sexually is frowned upon.

When a man embraces his sexuality he is met with the lighthearted, dismissive response of “boys will be boys”, used to defend men from the consequences of their actions and uphold the patriarchy.

On the other hand, when my friend did this, she was met with awkward glances, bodily shifts and clumsy excuses to leave. I dare not imagine what the response would be if I were to say that she was a brown girl from an orthodox Hindu family.

On the few occasions when the issue of female sexuality arises, so does that of class. If a women is in