Women Were Sexually Harassed At A Music Festival In Saudi Arabia. Sonam Kapoor Posts A Story About How Good The Festival Was. Wow!
The last time that I attended a concert was back in 2016 when Coldplay came to Mumbai and my best friend and I literally scampered for tickets. The concert, that had me dancing, singing along and at one particular song – crying, for it was that moving, was one of the best experiences for me. And while a lot of us thought, that it being India and all, it wouldn’t be all amazing and rosy, we were in for a surprise. But the only thing that touched us that night was the music. So you see, we tend to think that concerts are fun and to be enjoyed by all. And it speaks not just for the concert but for the country as well. Something that Saudi Arabia has been struggling with.
The recently MDL Beast Festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia saw many many celebrities in attendance, one of them being our very own Sonam Kapoor. Now Saudi isn’t exactly known for being liberal with the country only now opening up avenues for women. Till very recently, women couldn’t even drive, much less be seen enjoying music at a festival. So obviously, some PR was going to be required for the nation to work on its ‘cool’ image.
Mind you, this is a nation that is known for its staunch oppression of women and the MDL Beast Festival is being looked at as a promotional gimmick to improve the name and tourism of the country. The festival saw several influencers and celebrities in attendance for the big fest.
Also Read : Saudi Arabia Lifts Its Mandate On Gender Segregated Entrances. At This Point, It’s Faring Better Than India When It Comes To Women
And while all looked as glamorous as it was advertised, there was a lot that went behind the fun Instagram stories of celebrities like Sonam Kapoor, who may have made the time to comment on how great a time she had there, but conveniently forgot to mention how the crowd failed its women. Horrifying stories about being groped and touched at the concert are coming out and being corroborated by a number of social media accounts. By most accounts, there were barely any women at the festival and the ones that were there got felt up and harassed.
https://twitter.com/alia_ibrahimm/status/1208692416984862722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1208692416984862722&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scoopwhoop.com%2Fnews%2Fsonam-kapoor-called-out-for-her-tone-deaf-response-to-sexual-harassment-at-saudi-arabia-concert%2F
https://twitter.com/thinkharderrr/status/1208799784057880577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1208799784057880577&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scoopwhoop.com%2Fnews%2Fsonam-kapoor-called-out-for-her-tone-deaf-response-to-sexual-harassment-at-saudi-arabia-concert%2F
When you go to MDL Beast you should expect wild beasts. If you fear for your life (and dignity), stay away from the jungle.#تحرش_ميدل_بيست pic.twitter.com/qBUaY78HZY
— محمد سليمان الفوزان (@msalfozan) December 21, 2019
Women have taken to social media to share personal accounts of how they were sexually harassed, cornered, made to feel uncomfortable and hurled sexual comments at. What may have started with the confession of one woman, has now turned into a thread that is trending, and putting forth the horrible experiences it offered the women in attendance. From instances of being groped to inappropriately approached, the internet is not happy. But it’s even more unforgiving is Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor’s silence over it.
The actress who too, attended the festival had shared posts about how well she was treated and was met with instant criticism. Fashion and industry watchdog Diet Prada too called her out for being a sellout. But being a woman, and one that’s quite vocal for the most part, Sonam post about being a Hindu brown female and yet being treated well, reeks of privilege and being practically blind to what was really happening on ground.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6Wb9ONnOmV/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6XhJHHBNAt/?utm_source=ig_embed
And here we thought that Saudi Arabia was finally making its way to a less regressive place for women. But seems like its one step forward and two steps back for this one, all with the support of spineless celebrities, who perhaps don’t weigh the consequences of their actions enough.
Several other influencers who attended and then spread a word about how cool the festival and the hospitality of the country was, were also slammed for being tone deaf and being only there for the big bucks. Guess the men took the ‘Beast’ in the MDL Beast festival a little too seriously.
