After a domestic maid accused actor Shiney Ahuja for allegedly raping her, it struck that the issue that was till now the domain of the West has come closer home. In the past many Hollywood stars have been accused of sharing a ‘special bond’ with their house maids. Take the case of Uma Thurman’s husband Ethan Hawke who divorced the actress to be with their nanny. Actor Jude Law cheated on fiancé Sienna Miller by having an affair with his family’s nanny. He reasoned it out by saying that he didn’t like Sienna’s partying ways. Even Hollywood’s hottest couple could not stay unaffected by the nanny brigade. Angelina Jolie fired their kids’ nanny because she caught actor Brad Pitt getting too close for comfort. Few years back Aditya Pancholi was also accused of having consensual sex with his maid, promising her a fruitful career.
Even telly is not far behind - In a much talked about episode of Desperate Housewives , Lynette fires her dream nanny just because her husband found her attractive. Movie, No Entry had a similar scene where Lara Dutta who plays the role of an obsessed wife fires her domestic help since she dresses provocatively and looks attractive. This proves that the concept is not new.
While this brings to forefront the case of rising infidelity (in the hands of maids), it also grabs attention to the nanny brigade. So far they have been doing home’s dirty work and considered undesirable, how did they become a man’s object of fantasy? “Men usually don't feel attracted to maid because of her looks or anything. One reason could be that amidst all the commotion and fast paced life around him, a maid is someone who comes across as a woman who's calm, not needy, non threatening, non competitive unlike other women surrounding him," opines psychologist Deepak Vohra. He goes on to add, “Also the reason that a domestic maid never raises her voice or snaps makes a man feel more in control and ready to take on his beastly intentions.”
Till now the nanny obsession was seen more in West, reason being they have young pretty things working as nannies. But India is observing a similar trend. A recent survey also revealed that men feel more attracted to average looking women than sexy toned bodies. Log onto Google and you will find many searches on X-rated, pornographic ‘maid’ stories, videos and graphics. "The very fact that there exists such content online proves that maid is considered an object of fantasy. It also encourages and entices other men to feel normal in getting attracted to a domestic help," says PR Manager Anand Mahesh.
Many men also perceive these maids in India as prominicuous. They feel she would be sleeping for money. "Not only that if you observe the way these maids work- putting ample cleavage on display, bending and making a posture that would entice any man. And with the common image of these harmless women, men feel like overpowering them. It's like unleashing the beast within that they know their wife or their girlfriend won't tolerate," opines dermatologist Shuruchi Verma.
But what happens to relationships after a woman realises her man's new found fantasy? Most of them never see the daylight. Actress Pooja Bedi says, “When I got to know that my then boyfriend Aditya Pancholi had consensual sex with my maid, I was horrified. I just could not see any sense in it. But I knew one thing that I can't tolerate infidelity. There is nothing more terrible than this. I immediately dumped him.” Adds line producer Sukriti Katyal, "If I ever get to know my man's sexual inclination towards a maid, it will make me feel sick. But honestly I have seen women around me carefully hiring their maids- because whether she admits or not there is an iota of anxiety to have a sexy maid roam around your house. It gives a sense of insecurity."
The fact is that men don't really fall in love with a maid but feel like exploring the alternative world of headless, harmless women. A word of advice to all the women out there- choose your maid with care!
