Months ago, I shared a happy clip from my time at the Taylor Swift movie premiere among a bunch of Indian Swifties on my Instagram stories. Guess what happened next? Plenty of long-lost acquaintances — primarily men — I did not remember following took offence. Their reason? They thought I was being frivolous. Now, I’m happy to agree to disagree and move on, but these people were hell-bent on proving a point. Keeping those Kanye West references aside, some of those dudes really wanted me to know that something that I was excited about in MY personal life was worthless and that my existence was a red flag. It wasn’t even funny.
Half-amused and half-petrified by their audacity, I removed all of them. But that didn’t eradicate the noise on social media, cos later on, I found out hot-takes by scandalised men seeing a bunch of women jubilant were painted all over social media. You see, not enjoying her music is one thing, but some of the comments were sexist. Somebody tweeted an Interstellar movie poster, claiming “I am sure 80 per cent of them wouldn’t have watched this masterpiece as it is too much high IQ for them”. (I love Interstellar, speaking as a space nerd, but let’s not go there) Another man claimed the world was in danger, and yet another, that all those women were unemployed. There was literally one who said and I quote, “All the swifties coming under a swift dzire would be poetic.”
The thing is that the easiest thing in the world is to offend a lifeless incel. You don’t need to do anything cos your existence is enough. If you’re a woman with a voice, an opinion, or an interest, and you share it on your social media, and it happens to go viral, vultures will make a feast day out of your comment section. Enough with the context, here are just some of the things that offended incels this year:
1. Of course, for having the best time at Taylor Swift’s Concert Movie
I think I’ve said enough. SO…
Not Indian Men taking on Taylor Swift the way they did Barbie. Anything that proves the existence of a free and happy world for woman and questions the authority of men in it,
— Lakshita Shankar (@lakshitposts) November 4, 2023
“You’re so cringe.”
Sure why don’t you show me half the depth in your personality that 1 TS song has https://t.co/NvMDvWETlt
2. For wearing pink to watch Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’
The Barbenheimer debate peaked as the two movies’ release date clashed in July this year. As the majority dressed in ensembles of black and pink to celebrate good cinema, a section in favour of Nolan’s Oppenheimer emerged to celebrate the film by dismissing Gerwig’s Barbie.
this account had said people who liked barbie should be sent to auschw*tz. enjoying a fun pink movie warrants a genocide against you but movies that show men abusing women need to be thoughtfully critiqued. state of incels lmao https://t.co/NizyZukJH5
— k (@krownnist) December 3, 2023
3. For realising that women can date multiple men before marrying ‘THE ONE’
This one was so delusional and primitive, I tell you. Watching the Koffee With Karan S8 premiere, a bunch of loveless incels got scandalised on realising that Deepika Padukone actually had a dating life before marrying Ranveer Singh. ‘Kids’ of BHU actually made a problematic spectacle of her dating life in the form of a skit. A skit on a female actor’s dating life in a college. WOWZA!
What kind cultural feast celebrates character assassination.
— Blabbing buddha (@blabbing_budha) November 8, 2023
4. For hating on a movie like ‘Animal‘
The number of incels who got triggered by the idea that ‘Animal‘ as a movie was worth all the critique it got was insane. Their logic? Movies are just for entertainment. As if we live in a perfect world where people have the sensibility to segregate art from real life. As if underage boys did not download pirated copies of the film and built shallow ideals of masculinity. As if cinema doesn’t have social implications, especially in a polarising society like ours.
Animal is soooo much worse than Arjun reddy that it’s not even comparable.
— Spandana (@SIicktyres) December 2, 2023
It’s a movie made by an incel for other incels to watch.
5. For realising that women can tell husbands what looks good on them, especially if the woman is Katrina Kaif
It’s KATRINA KAIF, for heaven’s sake!
if Katrina Kaif asks me to wear a sari I'll wear it without question. Vicky Kaushal is a real man 🫡 https://t.co/cmwv5eTdJ4
— Advit (@advitwake) December 1, 2023
6. The endless hate parade against Uorfi Javed for doing what she wants continued this year as well
We need no introduction here. People are always triggered watching Uorfi Javed experimenting with her outfits. And we love how the Queen always knows how to give it back!
Muslim owners don’t want to rent me house cause of the way I dress, Hindi owners don’t want to rent me cause I’m Muslim. Some owners have an issue with the political threats I get . Finding a rental apartment in mumbai is so tuff
— Uorfi (@uorfi_) January 24, 2023
7. For dancing, and worse, wearing saffron
It’s been a year and we’re still wondering how did the song become about Deepika insulting Saffron.
LMAO, ofc. everytime deepika padukone wears a bikini, men get angry🤣 exactly a year ago it was besharam rang, now this. HOW is a bikini degrading a woman? do female pilots not have the same body parts as other women? is a woman only respectable if she hides all her body parts??? https://t.co/8feolL1eGZ
— a. (@_iiobsessedii) December 12, 2023
Forget logic, our existence is enough.
