One of the leaders of the Indian fashion industry, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, recently drew fire for making a generalized statement about overdressed women being ‘internally wounded’.
His Instagram post, which was originally meant to promote his upcoming jewellery collection, attracted the wrath of netizens when he likened the state of a woman being overdressed to internal anguish.
His umbrella statement did not sit well with the internet as several people criticized his stance on the subject. Some believed that he was being patriarchal by speaking for women while others deemed it an awful PR move.
Here are a few of the many reactions to his post:
Right when the circumstances began to spin out of control, Sabyasachi issued a clarification both on his Instagram story and feed.
In his two-part clarification, Sabyasachi broke down his original post and expounded his previous agrument in detail.
While he offered a seemingly unfeigned apology for making a blanket statement about women, he maintained that his post was aimed at those women who use fashion as a coping mechanism rather than a tool for artistic expression.
The celebrated designer strengthened his reasoning while recounting his own experience with fashion as a mode of escapism through radical clothing choices.
His apology, too, was met with a mixed bag of reactions.
Some claimed that it was simply an attempt to reduce damage while others lauded his insight into the matter and welcomed his apology.
As someone who resorts to fashion as a means of distraction from reality, I can wholly testify to the soundness of Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s argument.
‘Retail therapy’ is a reality for many who seek mental refuge in materialism as it supplies them with momentary bursts of adrenaline and produces in them a sense of being.
Coping mechanisms differ from person to person and the need to tackle each of the underlying mental issues is important nonetheless.
As a woman, I do not believe that Sabyasachi Mukherjee was being misogynistic or speaking for women. Time and again, he has spoken with nothing but high regard for the female influences in his life who shaped him into what he is.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee may have worded his argument poorly, which he profusely apologized for, but he opened up the gates to a much-needed conversation pertaining to the nuances of mental health issues and their various ways of manifestation.
After all, to err is human.
Image Credits: Google Images, Instagram
Source: Sabyasachi Mukherjee, News 18, India Today
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