Hey Aayushi, I Was Reduced to a ‘C**T’ For My Feminist Stand Too

For them it’s not the point you’re trying to make. It’s how they can pull you down for being a woman.

Hey Aayushi,

You are a comedian, a content creator. That is your job.

You made a video about how AIB's content has a skewed preference for men.

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And even though AIB took the criticism in its stride...

...not everyone was on the same side, and you had to encounter this:-

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I am not surprised.

Also, who knows what we shall chance upon if we ask you about the messages you have received ever since the video went live; you will probably tell us things that will only make us feel worse about the society we live in.

Now, let’s back up a little. In September, 2017, I made a video calling out how a particular song normalised rape not only because the lyrics were lewd and objectified women, but because there were events created across India to shout out the lyrics of the song on the streets. I know that there are thousands of songs in various languages that do the same, and that's problematic too. I know that YouTube, as a platform, and a lot of our films too, are filled with content that trivialises women; but does that mean that we don't call out what's wrong? Of course not!

As a girl, I had an opinion about the song and chose to make it heard. When my video was uploaded on FB, there were all sorts of remarks in the comments section. And criticism is welcome. Some people had fair points to make, while others just chose to abuse.

But all hell broke loose when the original video was taken down by YouTube and, mind you, it wasn't because of the video I made. It was taken down because of a copyright strike. Within hours, my inbox on Facebook was full of messages that made me want to erase the last the few days and take back all that I had said in the video. I was scared, shocked and angry all at the same time.

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In a matter of hours, from being a positive person who enjoys her work, I was reduced to a ''whore'', a ''mindless idiot'' who deserved to be ''killed or raped in the middle of the road''.

Why? Because I had an opinion and I made it heard.

The men who identified and followed Aayushi, I would like to ask you:

• What is it that gives you strength to treat a woman like that?
• Would you do the same if Sumedh were in front of you?

I can tell what the next step will be.

They will call you weak, they will say you are 'playing the victim card now'; they will say you are nothing but an 'attention seeker'.

Hey Aayushi, I know why you cried.

Because I did too! It's not because we think less of ourselves now; it's because only we (and the other women like us) who have gone through the same, know what it's like to be reduced to nothing.