Actress Khushi Mukherjee has recently been in the news and limelight for her bold and courageous outfit choices. On one hand, liberals have extended support to her decision of following her passion and choices when it comes to her outfits. On the other hand, another section of netizens have also spewed a lot of hatred, trolling and venom on her for living her life the way she wants. Like a strong lady and a force to reckon with, Khushi was battling all of it alone until her silence was mistaken as her weakness.
IKhushi finally broke her silence on the matter and put forward her side of the story that deserves to be heard as well. Khushi quotes talks about how she had to open up after being thrashed online, abused and even threatened for her choice of clothes. Highlighting the fact that she’s bold and courageous who likes to take daring decisions, she also articulately talked about how her fashion has always been inspired by Hollywood actresses and runway models and that since she lives in a democratic country like India and not a place which is ruled by Taliban, people shouldn’t be having a problem nor should they term it as vulgar.
Reacting to all the fiasco that unfolded just because she followed her own gut instinct and choices in her fashion game, Khushi shares,
“The past few weeks have been quite traumatic to me and definitely not good for my mental health. From receiving horrific rape threats online from people to being abused and threatened and what not, I have dealt with everything. It reached a stage where not just me, even my own family members started getting hate in society and social media just for being related to me. It all just boils down to the same old mentality where a girl and her character gets questioned and judged just because of her choice of outfits. Like, why on Earth? Are we really living in 2025? On one hand, we talk about freedom of choice and space and in reality, this is what we are turning into? I have had enough and that’s why, for the sake of my own dignity and my family, I had to break my silence and speak. Right now, everyone is just doing anything and everything as per their whims and fancies using my name. I can’t believe that in a democratic country like India, people are saying I should be arrested just for being an independent girl who wore what she wanted to. I have no problem if these people want to extract 2 mins of fame but why using my name or lifestyle?”
Talking about how her outfits don’t technically qualify as vulgar as they are in reality inspired by top-notch Hollywood actresses and runway models, she further added,
“I must bring this to people’s knowledge that I have always been inspired by Hollywood fashion. While I love it, I always try to bring my own touch and flavour to it. Many Hollywood celebrities, from Jennifer Lopez to Paris Hilton to Beyonce, & many runway models have worn similar outfits like mine in the past. If it is fashionable for Hollywood actresses, why can’t it be fashionable for a young Indian independent girl like me? Why such a selective and convenient approach to things?”
Reacting to all the allegations of negatively influencing the youth with her outfit choices, she concluded by saying,
“It is important for me to address the elephant in the room. So many people have blindly accused me of negatively influencing the youth. How am I negatively influencing people? Instead, I am motivating people to wear outfits of their choice irrespective of their body shape. There’s nothing like you must be of this particular shape to wear this outfit. No, not at all. It all boils down to personal wish and confidence. I want more and more women to feel comfortable in their body and shape and wear what they want to and not limit themselves to societal expectations. Some people call this negative influence? I think the right word is empowering women around me by walking the talk and practising what I preach. I really feel people who have been trolling need to see the broader perspective of things instead of limiting themselves to just their limited vision. My best wishes and gratitude to everyone who has supported me in these testing times.”
