"IDEOLOGY, REPRESENTATION, AND THE PARADOX OF GENDER: A FEMINIST CRITIQUE OF KIRAN KAPUR’S GIRL GIRL GIRL"

Abstract

Kiran Kapur's poem Girl Girl Girl is a poignant critique of patriarchal systems that sustain gender-based oppression, examining themes of objectification, violence, and economic exploitation. The poem contrasts the enticing facade of Waikiki with the harsh truths of female oppression. This research article employs Mitchell Barrett’s feminist theoretical framework to examine the interconnections of ideology, representation, and material reality in Kapur’s poem.This paper pays a closer attention to Kapur’s imagery and narrative to dissect how women are presented as mere objects of trade and sexual conquest in a “male dominated society”. The paper also discusses the issue of patriarchy and the ways of appearance and acceptance of the gendered violence, economic subjection of women, and a range of psychological effects of systematic oppression. Feminist theory is applied in this study; thus, the poem Girl Girl Girl should motivate society’s valuation and dismantle patriarchal structures as well as champion women’s emancipation.