On the occasion of International Women's Day 2019, Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee took to social media to send out a Women’s Day wish.
The designer collaborated with a plus-size model – who sported an outfit from his collection – to send out a message of ‘self-confidence’. He shared two photographs with the caption that read, "This International Women's Day, celebrate confidence."
The post received mixed reviews. Some users praised Sabyasachi for his message. But many users also criticised the designer for choosing to talk about ‘self-confidence’ only on Women’s Day. His silence on gender issues during the rest of the year was pointed out by many social media users.
Some raised questions on why he chose this particular post to talk about ‘self-confidence’. Was he implying that only plus-size models need more encouragement because they lack confidence, wondered other users. They found it problematic that the designer preached self-confidence suggesting "only average/plus-size models need confidence".
Some of them also schooled Sabyasachi and suggested that it'd be nice if he'd "promote curvy women all year round" and not just on a particular day.
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