Student's Distasteful Remark On YouTube Educator Rakshita Singh Underlines The Sick Obsession With Sexualising Women

During a plant physiology class, a student named Navneet made an inappropriate sexual remark on YouTube educator Rakshita Singh. He asked, "Bacha kaise paida hota h mam, mam practical kar do" (How are kids born ma'am, ma'am show us practically). Instead of ignoring it, Singh gave the young boy a dose of his own medicine. She replied that he should check with his mother for the same, she must have practical knowledge and should ask his mother since she is unmarried.

Rakshita Singh took to her Instagram handle and shared the video clip from her class along with another disturbing experience from the past. She wrote, "I started teaching 4 years back, And during my initial days-I was taking a class at 6am and a guy came & he be like “Rakshita tumko dekh k hilaa rha hu'' and Mai itna anxious hogyi and i cried thoda sa and uske baad aage class lene ka himat nahi hua and I cancelled the class ! Maine usko smjhane ki koshish bhi ki thi live class mai but nahi he kept spamming! Being a teacher I always feel it’s my responsibility not just to teach but help them become a better human being ! Soo kuch spammers aate h toh mai usually pyaar se smjha deti hu ! But based on my past 4 years online experience, I personally don’t reply politely to comment like these !.``

Singh pointed out how incidents like these make many female teachers feel uncomfortable and hesitant to teach online. She further went on to share her concern about social media users creating videos like 'Best looking female teachers of the country' where unnecessarily their profession is linked to beauty standards.

Netizens were quick to hail the educator for her fitting reply to the student and also highlight the problematic thinking of men in the country.

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A post shared by Rakshita Singh Bangar (@rakshita_singh07)

What’s Wrong With The POV?

We stand in 2023 and the society's disturbing obsession with objectifying and sexualising women persists. It is upsetting to see a teacher being objectified by a student on an online platform. As soon as the video went up, a lot of social media users pondered the reasons contributing to the mentality.

Some pointed out that it was because of parents who handed over mobile phones to their children before they turned 18. Some questioned if it was because their parents are too busy to police their children's behaviour. Well, the issue is complex and way too many factors have a role to play. Cultural practices, disparity, oversexualisation of women in the media, lack of sex education to name a few.

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For Women, There Is No Escape

Forget finding a safe space outside, women are unsafe even within the confines of their own homes. The remark hints at the disturbing mentality of young minds of the country and no, they can't be dismissed in the name of spam. The comment coming from a young boy serves as proof that we still have a very long way to go in terms of ensuring women safety in India. At work, streets, markets, at home or even social media, we inhabit a perilous world.

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The inappropriate remark on the YouTuber serves as just one instance of the challenges women face on using the internet today. Unfortunately, not every woman possesses the kind of confidence Singh had to shut down the troll. However, it is a quick lesson on the importance of confronting the bullies.

It is time for us women to do our bit instead of waiting for things to miraculously change for us women in the country. A single step to standing for ourselves can prevent the normalisation of inappropriate comments directed at women every day. Until we get to a safer world, let's stay strong and not let anyone pull us down.

Image Courtesy: Freepik