Women bouncers, including Anjana and Vidya, primed and ready for work at the venue of a celebrity event in Thiruvananthapuram.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Women bouncers are quietly breaking gender stereotypes with apparent relish in Kerala.

They are incrementally assuming crucial roles in protection groups contracted by hotels, clubs, shopping malls and resorts to subtly deter party spoilers and troublemakers from disrupting DJ parties and celebrity events. 

The women’s watch and ward work often unfold under flashing strobe lights and in the spectral twilight of crowded dance floors.

The haze of stage smoke, the din of thumbing bass lines on popular dance-mix tracks, and the mass of swirling bodies render their job of unobtrusively keeping the peace challenging.

Giddy revellers often miss the bouncers, who inconspicuously watch the merrymaking from the sidelines, acutely mindful not to mar the party vibe with their hulking vigilance.

A bar hotel owner who hosts DJ parties says the weekend DJ parties are increasingly gender-neutral and patronised by a predominantly younger demographic.

“What appears consensual can suddenly become undesirable in the tumult of a dance party. Women bouncers are the first line of the establishment’s refined deterrence,” he says.

Social skills crucial

Subash, a bodybuilder who runs an event protection agency employing women, says social skills matter more than brawn in his work.

“The ability to speak to people, capacity for gentle but firm persuasion, spotting potential problems early, accurately interpreting behavioural clues, quickly deescalating tensions and staying calm in the face of aggression is valued more than sheer muscle,” he says.

Bouncers undergo role-plays to handle aggression without breaking the law. Separating and enfolding fighters in a firm hug is a common technique.

Overcoming challenges

Anjana, a 33-year-old married woman with two children, is an unlikely bouncer. In 2021, she broke the conformist gender perspectives to enter the predominantly male fiefdom. A former volleyball player trained in martial arts byherex-army father, a black belt in Karate, she says bodyguarding celebrities from selfie seekers at public events without provoking conflict or causing ill will is exceptionally challenging.