Teen’s biting criticism of Shobhaa De’s column on Kate Middleton’s ‘sari’torial choices goes viral.
Teen’s biting criticism of Shobhaa De’s column on Kate Middleton’s ‘sari’torial choices goes viral.
A certain Sneha Roy was the rage on the Internet on Thursday. Her claim to fame The 19-year-old from Assam wrote an open letter of sorts — scathing and elegant in parts — to popular columnist Shobhaa De, in response to her comment on the duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton’s sartorial sense. Shobhaa’s comments, “A saree needs curves, a saree demands a derriere. Kate has none,” among other things, didn’t go down too well with Roy who took to social media to make her displeasure evident. She wrote, “Let me tell you, when an 80-year-old Indian woman, be it your aging mother, mother-in-law or your own grandmother : greets you with a smile so radiant, bedecked in a saree loosely draped over her frail body: her once supple youth having fallen victim to Time: A Sari needs no curves.” Roy goes on to give many more examples of how curves have little to do with a sari’s flow and fall.
As it turns out, she is not the only person miffed at De’s remarks. The author received much flak on social media and was accused of ‘body shaming’ Kate. She is unperturbed however. When we contacted her for a response to the hullabaloo over her words, she responded with a cool, “Don’t know Sneha Roy, don’t care.”
Ask the experts and they’ll tell you that sari in fact, is the best hack job outfit of all times. Designers Shaina NC and Gaurang Shah known particularly for their six-yard creations are of the opinion too. According to Shaina, “The sari is the only garment in the world that can make a thin woman look voluptuous and a fat woman look sensual. So I don’t agree with Shobhaa’s comment. Having said that, using words like ‘body shaming’ on social media is too harsh a terminology. Everybody is entitled to an opinion. We’ve had a Liz Hurley to a Jemaima Khan wear a sari with much élan and I am sure that Kate would also do so.”
Gaurang agrees saying, “Wearing a sari doesn’t need a body type. All it requires is confidence and Kate had plenty of it. It’s the mindset of some people that forces them to think that saris require a body type. It’s a beautiful garment. Just because Kate is a celebrity and a known face, people are up in arms about the clothes she wore. With the celebrity status, the share of criticism comes naturally.”
That’s the sartorial aspect of it. Sophie Choudry, who was incidentally present at the charity gala believes that it was inappropriate to say the things Shobhaa did and commends Sneha on her words. “Bravo! I love this response to what I consider a rather thoughtless and somewhat irresponsible comment by an acclaimed writer and prominent female figure in Indian society!
At a time when young girls/women are being seriously affected by body shaming and never feel good enough, it is paramount for actors, writers, directors to promote positive and healthy body images and attitudes. The fact is that we are all different and beautiful in our own way. Whether you are waif like, curvaceous, fair, dark, tall, short, you are beautiful as you are. These are the messages that need to go out and this is our collective responsibility. Women need to stop finding fault with other women and instead bring out the best in each other! You should be responsible about what you say anyway but since news spreads like wildfire on social media platforms one has to be a little more particular. You an also use the medium to your advantage to put out your thoughts and messages and the best part about the social media platform is that if you tweet/Facebook/insta something then you can’t be misquoted and if you are, you have proof of what you actually said!”
There’s one more person who thinks the biting criticism for Shobhaa’s column is justified. Says actor-turned-fashion designer, Mandira Bedi, “I have never and will never make comments on someone else’s body or dressing. It is ironic that Ms De was making a comment on how Kate’s wardrobe has been extensively discussed but ended up making comments of this sort herself. Ms De is paid to give opinions and is known for them, and that’s what makes her who she is. But any backlash on body shaming comments is completely justified. Body shaming in my opinion is any derogatory or negative comments one makes about someone else and a backlash should be expected for these.”
Author Anuja Chauhan on the other hand believes it has much to do with the celebrity status of the women in question more than anything else. “People raised questions about Sushma Swaraj covering her head in Saudi Arabia! I think this is a storm in a tea cup. Everybody is entitled to an opinion but please let us reserve them for more relevant issues.”
