Know why Sabyasachi was attacked online for 'mangalsutra' ad campaign
Renowned fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee met with wide backlash for his latest line of jewelry. His newly launched "Intimate Fine Jewellery" consisted of a stylized version of the mangalsutra, which is an auspicious necklace with black beads worn by Hindu married women, and this did not sit right with netizens. The ad campaign for the line was also criticized. Read on to know more.
Stylization of the Royal Bengal Mangalsutra 1.2 has angered netizens
On October 20, the brand Sabyasachi launched the segment with the product hitting top fashion magazines and social media outlets. Royal Bengal Mangalsutra 1.2—priced at over Rs. 1.6 lakh—is made with pearls, black onyx, and 18k gold. Thereafter, photoshoot images were dropped to advertise it. This disrupted a section of online users' calm for portraying mangalsutra as part of intimacy, thereby hurting religious sentiments.
Twitter user: 'Mangalsutra isn't a random piece of fashion jewelry'
The inclusion of mangalsutra, which is a holy jewelry piece worn to signify the bonds of matrimony, as intimate jewelry seemed to have angered people the most. One Twitter user said, "Ultra Woke #Sabyasachi is so creatively bankrupt that he had to use semi-naked models for a Mangalsutra ad." Others shared images of traditional mangalsutra, informing it wasn't a "random piece of fashion jewelry."
LGBTQ representation: Men wearing 'mangalsutra' also came into question
In Sabyasachi's ad, men were seen wearing a mangalsutra too. One user said, "I have nothing against LGBTQ, they can love or marry whomever they want. But why are they only conditioning Hindu practices to their nonsense." One will remember that Dabur came under fire recently for showing a lesbian couple celebrating Karwa Chauth. People had similar complaints then as well.
Of course, many users were against the outrage too
As boycott calls were given, the other side showed up, too. "Mangalsutra is about marriage and marriage is about sex, so what exactly is the problem with the Sabyasachi ad?" asked a social media user. Meanwhile, another opined brands were enjoying great publicity by angering the "ultrasensitive." Sabyasachi is yet to respond to the criticism or remove the posts. Meanwhile, the Twitter debate is on!
