Important for women to become financially independent: Twinkle Khanna

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New Delhi: Actress-turned-author Twinkle Khanna, who has been vocal about several social issues especially those related to gender equality, believes that the best way for a woman to empower herself is through financial independence.

"We often tell women to speak up for themselves and to be fearless, but the fact is if you are not financially independent, then you have to toe the line and have to raise hand for the cheque," she said.

"Economic independence is the primary thing for all women out there. They should not rely on someone else for their needs, all should become self-reliant," Twinkle said during the launch of her third book titled 'Pyjamas are Forgiving' on Wednesday.

Organised by YFLO Delhi, the event was moderated by renowned journalist Barkha Dutt.

Asked the reason for holding a political ideology different from her husband and actor Akshay Kumar's opinions, Twinkle responded by saying: "We all have a right to vote which implies we all have a right to have different opinions," she said.

At the same time, the "Mela" actress expressed her concern over people's ruthless attitude towards someone who has a different opinion in the society.

She said: "Be it colour, caste, nationality or opinion, we all are shunning people who are different from us. And through this we end up learning nothing. We all are living in an echo-chamber.

"It is good to have different opinions as it will help people to learn more about things in a different manner."

Twinkle, who talked about botox quite a number of times, has once again urged women not to give unnecessary heed to cosmetic treatments in order to look younger.

The 43-year-old mother of two children said: "Ageing is a strange thing. When women cross 40, they start panicking about their looks and start getting cosmetic treatments.

"Rather bothering about looks, women should invest in their skills and try to develop a mind. If you have skills, automatically all heads will turn for you no matter what the looks are. "

Known for her wits and playing with words like a pro, Twinkle also joked on botox and said that one must not invest in anything that gives them diminishing returns.