Brutally Trolled For Wearing Revealing Outfits Post Her Wedding; Samantha Akkineni Reacts To Shut Down Trollers
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We live in a patriarchal world fill with hypocrites where a man can do what he wants after he is married but a woman is questioned and contained into a role. While the society we live in claims to be moving forward and accepting gender equality, the reality is quite different and disheartening. Several women have been victims of negative comments and bashing from trollers who hide behind a screen and think they are entitled to an opinion. Ever since the world of the internet has been rising, many celebrities have been prey to such hate. What’s worse is that most of the time these celebs are women who are trolled by the mindset of a conservative society.
Recently, the South Indian star Samantha Akkineni, made headlines for such an incident. In 2017, the actress fell in love with and married Naga Chaitanya. Their love story was nothing less than that of a fairytale and fans everywhere were delighted. However, post her wedding, she was trolled for wearing revealing outfits (of her choice) because she was married. The actress said that she knew it was going to happen but wanted to take that first step rather than conforming to these age-old patriarchal ideas. As disappointing as it sounds, Samantha got the reaction she was expecting and was brave enough to face it. Several times after that, she chose to wear bold outfits and the trolling reduced. However, Samantha was brutally trolled again when she put up a picture of herself in a bikini but this time she had the perfect response to it. Instead of keeping mum and letting the trolls win, she said, “I know I would be trolled for posting a picture in a swimsuit on the beach, but do you expect me to wear a saree on the beach? I don’t post them to get attention! But who tells me what pictures I should post? Just because I am a married person, they troll me. No one needs to tell me as to how I should conduct my life. I don’t want to be scared. I don’t want to fall into that trap.”
Deep Seated Patriarchy
Many a time social media has given room for trollers to bash and spread hatred on the internet about celebrities. What’s disappointing is that it’s mainly actresses and most of the time they choose not to comment on the issue. However, sometimes a few actresses choose to shut down these trollers completely. Recently in an interview with a popular news agency, Samantha Akkineni spoke about the time she wore a revealing outfit for the first time after her wedding. She said she recalls being trolled badly and it was very hard. The Super Deluxe actress added, “I was scared of the repercussions and the trolling. But at the same time, I told myself that things have to change and I’m going to do as much as I can to be a part of that change.” You go, gurl!
While it was a bold first step by the actress, what is sad is that there are still people out there who believe that women are meant to be confined in a box and more so, after they are married. Have you ever wondered why people do not expect that from men? Why are husbands not treated differently after their wedding and expected to follow a set of rules? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves. Even though the goal is not to bash on men, it is essential to open our eyes to the stark differences that exist between the roles of women and men.
Hypocrites Galore
As an educated society, we need to start looking at our flaws and taking steps to move forward without them. As members of this misogynistic society, the need for such a revolution is essential. These trollers are the same people who watch a movie where an actress wears revealing clothes but has no problem then. However, when she wears an outfit of her choice in real life, it becomes a matter of discussion and she gets clobbered with it. Why this level of hypocrisy exists in our society is something that we need answers to.
While these seem like trivial issues to certain people, they are small incidents that reveal the kind of society we live in. Samantha Akkineni is not the first actress who was the target of flak from the public. Many other actresses have faced such criticism and it’s time we change that. Like Samantha, several actresses should come forward and shut down the hate with a fitting reply and show the world that women don’t have to live by the rules of a patriarchal society. What do you think about Samantha’s reply to her trolls? Comment below and let us know your thoughts.
