A Saree Doesn't Have A Gender Says Pushpak Sen

With gender-fluid dressing being the trend and skirts becoming part of men's wardrobe as much as it is a part of a woman's, why should a saree fall behind? Yes, we are talking about Pushpak Sen who has been slaying it in a saree.

Italy recently witnessed protests after the senate voted down an anti-homophobic violence bill. If the bill was passed it would have made violence against members of the queer community and disabled people a crime. Around the same time, a picture that was breaking the internet in India was that of an Indian man, Pushpak Sen, walking the streets of Milan in a saree with a red bindi adorning his forehead. 

Pushpak Sen who is from Kolkata and is currently studying master’s in fashion, marketing and communication, in Florence, Italy goes by the handle thebongmunda on Instagram and has over 17 thousand followers and growing. Sen shares with SheThePeople that his initial response after his picture in a saree went viral saying, "I was amazed and very surprised. I never do anything exclusively for social media. I just post a little bit of some of the significant days of my life on social media. I believe that I did not go viral. It is people’s enthusiasm that has gone viral and I feel grateful for that."

"A sari is a non-living item and I strongly feel non-living things should never have a gender in the first place. I am just unapologetically being myself."

Sen captioned the post on Facebook, “Being a man in a saree would take me nowhere they said. Guess who's walking in it on the streets of one of the major fashion capitals of the world?” On that day he was visiting Milan with his friends as it, " has been 8 months since I’ve come to Italy and it is absolutely impossible that I will not get to visit one of the fashion capitals of the world, even for once. This is why my friends and I decided to go for a day trip and enjoy the vibe of Milan. It was a fun day for all of us!" shares Sen. 

Well Milan is not the only place, he has flaunted his sarees on streets of Barcelona too. We asked him while he was donning the Indian National dress he was also breaking the stereotypes in gendered dressing. To which he responded saying, "I am not the only man and definitely not the first one to do so. All I am doing is respecting my choices and living life how it should be lived – being my authentic self. As far as breaking stereotypes is concerned, that’s probably a subconscious decision because in all my consciousness, a sari is a non-living item and I strongly feel non-living things should never have a gender in the first place. I am just unapologetically being myself."

Suggested Reading: 

Indra Nooyi Denied Client Meetings for Wearing Saree: What is Appropriate Office Wear?

This New Viral Video Of A Saas Helping Bahu With Saree Breaks So Many Stereotypes

You Saw Her Hula Hoop In A Saree. Now Watch Eshna Kutty Play With Fire

Trending Now: