In an era when we are praising feminism more than ever, why are people still pulling women down over their choices? Both in person, and online, slut-shaming is extremely widespread nowadays. Whether it's a group of girls speaking in loud voices or a mob of boy’s body labelling women. Slut-shaming refers to criticizing women if it doesn't match to the societal expectations, and it is not just limited to the men of society, but even family members and other women are similarly part of this. Being in a relationship, flirting, and even wearing make-up, the moment women walks away from the norms of the society they become vulnerable to the slut stigma. However, a boy named Pushpak Sen from Kolkata took a strong stand after his mother was slut-shamed by his relatives.

When Pushpak Sen's mother was slut-shamed by his relatives for simply wearing red lipstick at a family function, he decided to sport the same red lipstick as his mother, click a selfie and send across to the family with a simple “Good morning. Get well soon”. And on 9th November, the 25-year-old took to his social media to narrate the whole incident. He sent ‘Get well soon’ to his relatives so that they can understand that wearing red lipstick is his mother's choice, and no one can stop her from that. A red lipstick evokes several emotions in a person. Sometimes it gives confidence to a person, and sometimes it is just ordinary makeup stuff. From darkest crimson to brightest cherry, red lipstick is one of the most powerful symbols to enrich the beauty. But sadly, those who can't withstand its normality and power it is now a trigger for slut-shaming. And Pushpak seems to have had enough of these stereotypes.

Pushpak Sen is a digital content creator, fashion enthusiast, and he likes everything that has something to do with culture and art. He recognizes fashion more than the clothes, but the art side of it. Being a man and wearing red lipstick has a fine line that touches the concept of genderless fashion. What shocked Pushpak was that some of his cousins were present when his mother was getting slut-shamed but they didn't say a word. And Pushpak Sen's whole Instagram profile speaks a lot on the same topic. By wearing red lipstick, he intended to blow the slut-shaming of women and toxic masculinity in society.

Along with his photo with red lipstick, Pushpak wrote on his Instagram, “Here I am, a man with a full face of beard and red lipstick. Here I am, standing up for all the mothers, sisters, daughters, non-males, and all the women who have had to suppress their desires because of the toxicity of an insecure society. Here I am, standing up for all of them and asking my fellow brothers to stand up for the women you know, in your own way when you see your loved ones getting bullied.” Pushpak aspired to stand up for all the women who had to suppress their wishes because of the stereotypical thinking and toxic masculinity in our society. He similarly urged other social media users to stand up for women who are bullied. And Pushpak's bold move was admired by many social media users, and the netizens praised him for such a powerful message.

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Reference:

• www.theweek.in
• https://instagram.com/thebongmunda?igshid=b24vd8rb3yd7