Excerpt from my book 

Dowry is a Serious Economic Violence: Rethinking Dowry Law in India 

(2023)

Amazon

Centuries ago, when Karl Marx wrote exhaustively about the callous exploitation of workers by the capitalist class, he may not have imagined how in South Asia, women as brides would be treated as commodities, pitilessly exploited, and violently murdered in their own homes by their abusive husbands for extorting wealth. As the ruthless oppression of the toiling masses could not be prevented by laws or policies, the merciless torture and murder of women could not be regulated despite establishing a legal mechanism in place. Over the decades, predatory capitalism has irrevocably acquired an altered form, and the free-market approach has devised a new mechanism of manipulation (Faber D, 2018). Similarly, the viciousness of the neoliberal forces, clubbed with patriarchy, feudalism, conservatism, rampant materialism, and excessive consumption propelled by extensive consumerism, is aggravating the desire among men and their families to accumulate quick wealth using marriage as a tool to extract resources from women and their families. The bourgeoisie-proletariat categorization, in the situation of dowry practice, is expanded to include the classification of savagely privileged men versus women – rich or poor, and in urban or rural areas. Women from all backgrounds dreadfully suffer for the material gains of men and their families in a harsh and hostile environment fuelled by the neoliberal, Brahmanical capitalist patriarchy.

Brains, Not Superficial Beauty

 Brains, Not Superficial Beauty

In today’s superficial and hyper-commercialized world, women’s bodies continue to be commodified in the name of beauty. Capitalism, hand-in-hand with patriarchal ideals, has created industries that profit from the objectification of women, reducing their value to external appearances and marketable aesthetics. This obsession with physical perfection doesn’t just harm body image—it subtly and persistently devalues the intelligence, labor, and inner worth of women. It sidelines their ideas, erases their contributions, and perpetuates a culture that prizes appearance over substance.

This patriarchal mindset seeps into every institution, even into education, where women have fought hard for space. In the commercialized academic world, emphasis is often placed on rote memorization, standardized tests, and performance metrics that do little to nurture creativity, empathy, or critical thinking. What’s sidelined is the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge, life skills, and lived wisdom—much of which has been carried, curated, and passed on by women across generations.

We are told to measure intelligence through IQ, grades, or degrees. But what about emotional intelligence? Social understanding? Resilience? Survival skills? These, too, are forms of intelligence—often more necessary for navigating real-world challenges than textbook knowledge. Yet they remain undervalued, especially when embodied and practiced by women.

It is time to challenge these narrow standards. True empowerment lies not in conforming to imposed ideals of beauty or intellect but in reclaiming the full spectrum of human potential, where emotional strength, cultural knowledge, caregiving, and intuition are recognized as equal to academic or professional achievement. Women should be celebrated not just for how they look, but for how they think, feel, lead, and survive.

Brains, not beauty. Depth, not display. Substance, not surface. That’s the revolution we need.