One of India’s finest fashion designers, Sabyasachi Mukherjee issued an open letter after his “shame” comment boomeranged. He commented while addressing Indian students at the Harvard Conference. He said: “I think, if you tell me that you do not know how to wear a saree, I would say shame on you.”
This comment received a royal bashing and did not go well with women. This led to the designer posting an open letter apologizing for his comment on his official Instagram account.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfKnPy6HO-4/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfKnZDUnUyt/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfKnlttHXhx/?utm_source=ig_embed
The letter reads, “To begin, allow me to sincerely apologise for the words that I used while answering impromptu questions at a conference at Harvard. I am sorry that I used the word ‘shame’ in reference to some women’s inability to wear a sari. I truly regret that the way in which I tried to make a point about the sari enabled it to be interpreted as misogynistic, patriarchal, and non-inclusive- this was certainly not my intention.”
He later went on to give a background to his comment and explained that a question was asked of him by a woman. She had asked him to comment on the cultural taboo of 'saree makes one look older'. This apparently enraged the designer. He said, “The Ubiquity of such sentiments in our culture, evidenced by the fact that this question was posed to me at Harvard, of all places, was hard-hitting and triggered an unfortunate series of reactions on my part.” Further, “Sometimes, when you are that invested in your craft, you become hypersensitive to the negativity surrounding that which you love.”
Sabyasachi addressed a larger issue of body shaming and ageism associated with saree.
He spoke about how many face comments like “Auntyji” or calling them sloppy for wearing saree. Having been posed with similar questions in various platforms led him to vent out his disagreement over the taboo. He said, “I am passionate about textiles and our heritage, and I am sorry that in the heat of that moment, I allowed this passion to be misplaced. I take full responsibility for this.”
Sabyasachi Mukherjee also addressed an issue of pay gap associated with this brand.
He said, “I would like to bring to your notice, that the majority of my staff at Sabyasachi Couture is women. Women comprise the top earners on my payroll – and it is not because they are women, but because they’ve earned it by their merit. Mine is a women-oriented brand and I owe my complete success to them.”
Thus, the designer issued an open letter apologizing for his comment. Let’s hope that people speak consciously and not use degenerating words. Humans are bound to make mistakes. When they do realise and apologize, they deserve to be forgiven. A lot of hate comments and shaming is doing the rounds on the internet for the designer. No matter what, shaming, abusing and trolling is mean and harsh. Let’s be conscious netizens and use the power of expressing an opinion in a dignified way.
Also Read: Women Must Be Judged On Basis Of Work: IBM Chairman Ginni Rometty
Reshma Ganeshbabu is an intern with SheThePeople.TV
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Sabyasachi Mukherjee Apologizes for his “Shame” comment.
One of India’s finest fashion designers, Sabyasachi Mukherjee issued an open letter after his “shame” comment boomeranged. He commented while addressing Indian students at the Harvard Conference. He said: “I think, if you tell me that you do not know how to wear a saree, I would say shame on you.”
This comment received a royal bashing and did not go well with women. This led to the designer posting an open letter apologizing for his comment on his official Instagram account.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfKnPy6HO-4/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfKnZDUnUyt/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfKnlttHXhx/?utm_source=ig_embed
The letter reads, “To begin, allow me to sincerely apologise for the words that I used while answering impromptu questions at a conference at Harvard. I am sorry that I used the word ‘shame’ in reference to some women’s inability to wear a sari. I truly regret that the way in which I tried to make a point about the sari enabled it to be interpreted as misogynistic, patriarchal, and non-inclusive- this was certainly not my intention.”
He later went on to give a background to his comment and explained that a question was asked of him by a woman. She had asked him to comment on the cultural taboo of 'saree makes one look older'. This apparently enraged the designer. He said, “The Ubiquity of such sentiments in our culture, evidenced by the fact that this question was posed to me at Harvard, of all places, was hard-hitting and triggered an unfortunate series of reactions on my part.” Further, “Sometimes, when you are that invested in your craft, you become hypersensitive to the negativity surrounding that which you love.”
Sabyasachi addressed a larger issue of body shaming and ageism associated with saree.
He spoke about how many face comments like “Auntyji” or calling them sloppy for wearing saree. Having been posed with similar questions in various platforms led him to vent out his disagreement over the taboo. He said, “I am passionate about textiles and our heritage, and I am sorry that in the heat of that moment, I allowed this passion to be misplaced. I take full responsibility for this.”
Sabyasachi Mukherjee also addressed an issue of pay gap associated with this brand.
He said, “I would like to bring to your notice, that the majority of my staff at Sabyasachi Couture is women. Women comprise the top earners on my payroll – and it is not because they are women, but because they’ve earned it by their merit. Mine is a women-oriented brand and I owe my complete success to them.”
Thus, the designer issued an open letter apologizing for his comment. Let’s hope that people speak consciously and not use degenerating words. Humans are bound to make mistakes. When they do realise and apologize, they deserve to be forgiven. A lot of hate comments and shaming is doing the rounds on the internet for the designer. No matter what, shaming, abusing and trolling is mean and harsh. Let’s be conscious netizens and use the power of expressing an opinion in a dignified way.
Also Read: Women Must Be Judged On Basis Of Work: IBM Chairman Ginni Rometty
Reshma Ganeshbabu is an intern with SheThePeople.TV