I'm no Good Girl: Samantha’s Empowering Message To Women

Following the success of her debut production Subham, actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu took a well-earned break and jetted off to Dubai for a vacation. Among the moments she shared on Instagram was a serene photo of herself gazing at the stars through a telescope, captioned, “Reaching for the stars.”

But what truly caught attention was not just the celestial symbolism—it was a page from the book The Good Girl Double-Bind by Kasia Urbaniak that she chose to post alongside. The excerpt delves into the deeply rooted societal conditioning women experience from an early age—being taught to be “Good Girls”: agreeable, non-confrontational, self-sacrificing, and constantly considerate of others' comfort over their own needs.

One striking line reads, “She never outshines anyone, but she never falls behind, either...which is precisely why she can never be a catalyst for change.” Urbaniak powerfully illustrates the paradox many women face: to succeed, they’re expected to be assertive, bold, and authentic, yet their upbringing demands they be modest, accommodating, and quiet. This double-bind forces women to shrink themselves even in moments that demand visibility and power.

The passage Samantha shared further explores how this conditioning plays out in everyday life—in how women apologize unnecessarily, silence themselves to avoid discomfort, or surrender credit to preserve harmony. The narrative ultimately invites women to question the script they’ve inherited and to reclaim their voice and agency.

By choosing to share this excerpt, Samantha may be signaling a personal shift—a quiet but firm refusal to be confined by outdated expectations. Coming at a time of professional high and personal distance from her past, including her divorce from Naga Chaitanya and, more recently, the wedding of his brother Akhil Akkineni, her post feels layered with meaning.

Whether it reflects her own transformation or serves as a message of solidarity to women navigating similar binds, Samantha’s choice to spotlight The Good Girl Double-Bind is empowering. In a world that still insists women must walk a careful line, her post offers a reminder: sometimes, reaching for the stars starts with unlearning the rules that taught you to play small.

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