‘Is Culture Only In A Woman’s Cleavage?’: Aishwarya Lekshmi Responds To Outfit Backlash, Slams Culture Policing

Actor Aishwarya Lekshmi has responded to criticism over an outfit she wore at a diamond jewellery exhibition in May, saying the backlash missed what had actually made her uneasy. The actor faced immediate online criticism after netizens questioned whether her outfit was appropriate.

Aishwarya Lekshmi on her outfit controversy

In an interview with Rajini Haridas, Aishwarya said the cameras were being pointed at her from objectionable angles rather than covering her normally.

“They were not focusing on my face. I did get uncomfortable, and when you get uncomfortable, your body language changes as well. I felt like my personal boundaries were violated,” Aishwarya said.

She said many people online noticed that discomfort but read it the wrong way. The actress said netizens failed to understand that she was not uncomfortable in her outfit, but was made to feel that way by the behaviour of people at the event.

On trolling culture

Aishwarya said she read the reactions that followed and remembered the kind of criticism being directed at her.

“People were like, ‘Why is she getting awkward? Why is she covering her neckline? Why choose a dress like that if it is so uncomfortable?'” she said.

“Is culture only in a woman’s cleavage or the length of her dress? It is also in the way we behave, right?” she said. “There is little policing of people who make inappropriate remarks about women. But a woman should always be mindful about her cleavage and how she dresses.”

At first, she did not treat the trolling seriously.

“For the first 24 hours since the trolling started, I laughed about it. But as time went by, I was shook by the amount of discussions it was shaping into,” she said. “Why can’t we discuss our GDP, or how many old parents are being abandoned? Why should my cleavage be subjected to such intense discussion?”