Vinesh Phogat came out in defense of Mithali Raj following outrage over her “revealing picture”. (Source: Twitter)
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has come out in support of Women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj following her throw back tweet after a photo shoot. Phogat made her point well and truly clear by asking a straight and simple question from people that should ideally stop them from shaming female athletes in the future. Besides being applauded for leading the team to the ICC Women’s World Cup, she has also been lauded for her outspoken views.
Social media, bereft with moral police, once again took an ugly turn as many questioned and shamed Raj for her “inappropriate dressing” after she posted an old group picture following a photo shoot. The tweet, carrying just hashtags, said, “#tb #PostShootSelfie #funtimes #girlstakeover” with the image causing furor. Even as many condemned and questioned her dress, Phogat lay down the law with a very simple question, “Why is it that only women are always questioned on what they wear. Why not men?? When will this change? #everydaysexism #MithaliRaj ЁЯШПЁЯШб”.
“It is an insult to a woman and a player. What kind of a culture are these people presenting by posting such dirty comments? Nobody has the right to interfere in her personal life,” said an activist Mariya Alam Umar to ANI. Her views were echoed by another activist, Ruby Mukherjee, “Mithali can wear whatever she wants to. She is an adult and knows what to wear. If you are telling her what to wear, then you are making a laughing stock of yourselves.”
The comments, on the other side of the fence, varied from: “To much hot , not good” to “Not good to see you in this costumes. Don’t mistake me. Be an Indian women that too TAMIL NADU WOMEN [sic].” to “рддреБрдо рдЗрд╕ рдкреАрдХ рдореИрдВ рдмрд┐рд▓рдХреБрд▓ рднреА рдЕрдЫреА рдирд╣рд┐ рд▓рдЧ rhi рд╣реЛ рдХреНрдпреВрдБрдХрд┐ рддреБрдо рдПрдХ рднрд╛рд░рддреАрдп рд▓реЗрдбреАрдЬрд╝ рд╣реЛ рдЕрдЫреЗ рдкрд░рд┐рд╡рд╛рд░ рдХреА рд▓рдбрд╝рдХреА рд╣реЛ (You don’t look good in this picture because you’re an Indian woman and belong to a good family)”.
Just to give a glimpse of the narrow minded, sexism on offer prior to Phogat’s questions:
This isn’t the first time Mithali has been at the receiving end of sexist comments on Twitter. In August, some tried to troll her for posting a picture at a function where she had sweaty armpits. However, she then shut down the moral police by tweeting, “I’m where I’m because I sweated it out on d [the] field! I see no reason 2 [to] b [be] ashamed f [of] it, when I’m on d [the] ground inaugerating [inaugurating] a cricket academy,” she said.
