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‘Not yours to comment’: Anoushka Shankar rejects body-shaming
The sitarist called out sexist online remarks, asserting her body is not open to unsolicited judgment.
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Malvika Choudhary - Sat, 06, Sep 2025
- 17:11 EDT
- 69
Anouska Shankar / Instagram (Anoushka Shankar)
Indian American sitarist and composer Anoushka Shankar has responded strongly to body-shaming trolls, asserting that her body is not open to unsolicited commentary.
In a detailed Instagram post, the 11-time Grammy nominee addressed a series of online comments that criticised her attire and appearance, some of which invoked her father Pandit Ravi Shankar’s legacy.
Also Read: Anoushka Shankar to perform at Hodgson Concert Hall
Remarks such as “Indian classical music is sacred music. But the attire worn is not matching” and “Think about your father’s image, please” were among those shared by Shankar to highlight the sexism she faces.
Reflecting on her journey, Shankar described her body as both ordinary and miraculous, emphasising the resilience it has shown. She recounted surviving child sexual abuse, enduring multiple surgeries, coping with polycystic ovarian syndrome and migraines since adolescence, overcoming addiction, navigating undiagnosed neurodivergence, and living with an autoimmune disorder.
“This body has birthed two children… and generally been a complete, badass warrior on my behalf,” she wrote.
Rejecting online trolling, Shankar stated, “I haven’t got to this point, after all that, only to accept any banal, pathetic comments (male) strangers feel the need to bring into my orbit. The inherent arrogance that allows one human to think they have the right to pass judgment on someone in this way is astounding.”
She added that in 2025, society should be far beyond what she described as “this kind of idiocy,” insisting that there are “bigger battles to fight.”
Making her stance clear, Shankar declared, “For the people in the back: My body is not anyone else’s to comment on. My choices – all of them – are mine to make.”
Extending solidarity to others facing online abuse, she noted, “To anyone else who receives these kinds of comments, either in public or in private, I see you, and I’m with you. It’s not your shame to carry, it’s theirs.”
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