After Changing Twitter Picture, Priyanka Gandhi’s Garb Sparks Sexist Outpouring

On Wednesday morning, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra changed her display picture on Twitter.

This was swiftly followed by a slew disrespectful and inappropriate comments about her outfit in the new picture.

Gandhi made her Twitter account on February 11, clocking over 6,000 followers within a few minutes. Her previous picture showed her in a maroon saree with a long-sleeved blouse.

She later changed it to one of her wearing a pair of denim jeans and a navy blue shirt.

Many speculated that she did so in response to BJP minister Harish Dwivedi’s comments on her outfit shortly after she was appointment the national general secretary of the Indian National Congress.

On February 9, the minister said, “Everyone knows Priyanka Gandhi wears jeans when she is in Delhi but wears saris when she visits Congress bastions,”

Some called it an election gimmick and others decided to boycott her election rallies, referring to the long list of scams her husband Robert Vadra is accused of perpetrating.

However, some also lambasted politicians and Twitter users for making sexist comments against her and appreciated her for breaking away from the conventional image of a woman politician.

This is not the first time that women politicians have faced sexist comments – especially with regard to their outfits.

Soon after Gandhi’s appointment, BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya called her a “chocolatey” face among other political leaders contesting in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Recently, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav body-shamed Vasundhara Raje saying, “she has become fat, earlier, she used to be thin.”

Similarly, in 2017, Akhilesh Yadav passed rude comments against Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati. “How could we have given space to her [Mayawati]?” he said. “She takes so much space, even her party symbol is that of an elephant.”

Featured image credit: Twitter