Eating Under Stress: An Analysis of Food Performativity among Women in Indian Films

Author(s)	Ms. Senthamizh Elakkiya, Dr. Arockia Anto Anita
Country	India
Abstract	In many Indian cultural contexts, women are expected to control their emotions and their appetites. Eating in public, eating excessively, or eating for comfort is often judged as a sign of emotional weakness or lack of discipline. This paper argues that when women in Indian films are shown eating while under emotional stress, these moments should be read not merely as personal coping mechanisms but can also be seen as subtle acts that challenge such gendered expectations. This paper analyses selected scenes depicting stress eating in the movies Jigra (2024), directed by Vasan Bala, and Dear Zindagi (2016), directed by Gauri Shinde. In both films, selected scenes deal with stress/emotional eating where food becomes a medium for women to express feelings of fear, shame, and emotional unrest. Drawing on feminist approaches such as Affect Theory and Gender Performativity, this paper argues that stress eating among women serves as a quiet assertion of female agency. It shows how simple everyday choices can push back against cultural expectations that say women should keep their emotions in check and act a certain way.
Keywords	Stress eating, Food Performativity, Food as resistance, Jigra, Dear Zindagi, self-control.
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 1, January-February 2026
Published On	2026-02-28

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research