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Ayushmann Khurrana is an actor that many love, but at the moment he, he receiving backlash on social media. Why? Well, the actor took to his social media handle and shared the picture from a recent cover shoot. This image shows him wearing black nail polish and kajal.
Unfortunately, this Gothic look that’s intended to promot the idea of normalizing men wearing makeup has gone down well and people of the queer community have found it offensive.
Sharing his GQ cover photo on Instagram, Ayushmann Khurrana captioned it “Gender Fluid.” This led to netizens of the LGBTQ community schooling the ‘ Vicky Donor’ actor about gender fluidity. People of the queer community found it offensive, especially for a heterosexual and cis-gender male celebrity, to portray the look as gender fluid.
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The reaction of the audience towards the post stands divided. Many have praised Ayushmann Khurrana’s stance on wearing make-up, while others have shunned it. A popular queer community page on Instagram, Gaysifamily, commented- “Gender Fluid” with an eye-rolling emoji to showcase their disapproval.
Another user commented, “A cishet man calling himself gender fluid because he wore kajal and nailpolish and did a subpar movie on LGBTQIA+.” This comment took the conversation on another tangent to debate how Bollywood films on queer and transgender identity lacked nuances and authentic portrayal.
Users have also commented that in Shubh Mangal Zyad Savdhan and in Dream Girl, the role of a drag artist and a gay man was essayed by Ayushmann Khurrana himself rather than casting someone from the queer community. One user wrote, “We should’ve stopped him during Shubh mangal zyada saavdhan itslef, all those encouragement is what led to this.”
Another user hinted that Aysuhmann Khurrana’s upcoming movie with Vaani Kapoor, ‘Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui’, where Kapoor will be seen playing a transwoman, could possibly be transphobic without any authentic portrayal. The user commented, “no like…the audacity to do this while doing a transphobic a– movie….after taking all the bRaVe and pAtHbReAkiNg compliments for taking a gay role….”
While many criticized this marketing gimmick of Ayushmann, some have been also praising it by drawing a comparison with Harry Styles. Others have also complimented him by saying that many mainstream actors do not dare to make such a bold move, and by doing so, he is breaking the social stigma of men wearing makeup.
The user wrote, “like yes we understand that femininity is NOT gender fluidity BUT at least he’s doing something? idk but the KHANs yall worship so much would tremble at the thought of saying something about the lgbtq community.”
In Bollywood, Ranveer Singh is one of the few A-list actors who sport a gender-fluid look. He is even lauded for wearing a skirt. Maybe, the statement of Ayushmann Khurrana calling himself ‘gender fluid’ on social media touched the raw nerve of the queer community.
Ayushmann has deleted the post from his Twitter handle but it continues to be there on Instagram.
Do you think this was another celebrity marketing gimmick gone wrong or a progressive move to normalize men wearing makeup? Tell us in the comments below.
