Prachi Nigam from Uttar Pradesh stole the headlines after securing 98.5 per cent marks in her class 10 board exam. However, her achievements in Nigam were overshadowed by her appearance. She fell prey to trolls who mocked her facial hair. Amid continued outrage on social media, Bombay Shaving Company ran an ad about Nigam, which did not go well on the internet.
Shantanu Deshpande, founder and CEO of the grooming brand, said, “Dear Prachi, today they are ruining your hair, tomorrow they will be praising your AIR.” He shared a photo of a newspaper ad that read: While sharing the photo, Deshpande wrote, “I was shocked to see the amount of hate directed at a teenage girl who failed her exams because of her beard.” A simple message to this amazing young woman with a bright future ahead of her. I love seeing my team exude class. No piggyback sales, no QR codes, just a heartfelt message to my fellow bae.”
Click the link to view the post.
Deshpande’s post backfired, with users accusing him of “opportunistic” marketing. In response to this, a user commented: There’s nothing cool about this ad, and it’s such a shame that even a reputable company doesn’t want to leave an opportunity to take advantage of an unfortunate event. In support of this philosophy, I pledge to never purchase your products. Bombay Shaving Company” and called for a #boycott. Another user wrote: It’s definitely classless. Definitely opportunistic (no QR code is a big deal). This makes me very angry. ”
“First thing to cut… the boldness and entitlement of the last line,” a third user commented.
Nigam became a hot topic after being trolled mercilessly. She spoke to the trolls and silenced them. Ms. Nigam in her interview with the BBC said that she has been receiving such comments for a long time, but she is not really concerned about the current situation. “People see girls with hair and find it strange because they’ve never seen it before,” she told the BBC.
