Sabyasachi Returns To The Troll Fest, Receives Criticism For His Jewellery Ad Campaign
Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee is under the spotlight once again, not for his exquisite and to-die-for expensive lehengas but this time for a bunch of models on the brand’s Instagram feed endorsing the scintillating jewels. Dividing the internet into two halves, the Autumn/Winter 2021 collection campaign as shared on the designer’s official social media handles featuring models dressed in a sari has, in no time, tasted hate and even run the meme race. Why? Because people think the models featured in the campaign, with their no-makeup look and serious expressions, look ‘sad’ to them. Erm…
“Kisne offend kar diya tum sabko?” and “Conjuring in one frame” were two amongst the many reactions that Instagram users left on the recent post by Sabyasachi. While some of them managed to gather big laughs, some others according to me were just so unreasonable.
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Well, it is not the first time that popular designer labels were served hate by trolls. Earlier this year, Sabyasachi’s ad campaign promoting the ‘Royal Bengal mangalsutra’ on a model dressed in a bra and a pair of denims fuelled debate. Believed to be offensive to the sacred thread worn by Hindu women, netizens advocated against the campaign and the representation of the marriage marker. Not just Sabyasachi though, many prominent Indian jewellery and clothing labels like Tanishq and Fab India were asked to draw a line when they tried to experiment and voice an idea through creative ad scripts. And the need for all the troll tamasha is still beyond my understanding.
ALSO READ: The New Sabyasachi Mangalsutra Launch Campaign Has Offended People. Not The Right Reasons, Ya!
Fashion to me is the representation of one’s ideas and thoughts, which differentiate a million labels from one another. Followed by that, the ad campaigns become the bridging gap between the brand and potential consumers exchanging ideas and selling the product (which is the end purpose). But the rise of social media has offered a sort of feedback form to each user to write their mind in the public domain, even on things that do not require a magnifying glass glaring at them. The creative process and representation of these ideas as showcased through ads, again take a back seat and return in the most filtered versions of themselves. I understand India is a democratic country with every citizen having a podium to voice their opinion (or so it would seem). But can we, for once, respect and observe ideologies of these labels, mirroring the society, instead of slapping them with random comments?
From calling the models “too sad,” comparing them to domestic violence victims wherein a tweet read, “Oh these are models! I thought they are super rich domestically abused women. No shringaar or even happiness that I can see. Just looks burdened with to keep their heads high with expensive jewelleries around neck to save embarrassment,” to even questioning their “pale,” “brown skin.”
https://twitter.com/Sudeep1211/status/1464626895689977863?s=20
Comments by these virtual keepers of Indian culture who set the societal fence for women and their representation even in the fictitious world of the internet, seem to have no boundaries carved around themselves. And all of this is quite concerning to observe at least in today’s day and age. I mean are we walking ahead or taking a few steps back? Followed by the criticism, some accounts thankfully came running in support of the post imagery and mentioned, “The number of women I have seen troll these 3 models over their looks is sickeningly high. The ad is literally for Sabyasachi jewellery. So I don’t understand the obsession on their “lusterless skin”. Just say y’all have an issue w models looking like average Indian women in an ad.”
While another social media handle wrote, “Love the outfits and necklaces, at last representing the real world with models. The movie and modelling world has done extensive damage to women’s self-image and mental health, with thin and airbrushed models. Time to get real.” Something I am relieved to read.
A simple jewellery campaign that could have been easily scrolled through and appreciated for a visual that doesn’t come with the burden of beauty standards, yet again caught the ire of trolls and the ‘easily offended’. And I am hoping this constant battle of ideas does not refrain brands from exercising their unique expression.
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