TVF: Twinkle Khanna compares Arunabh Kumar to frog, condemns him for his comments

Actress-turned-columnist-and author Twinkle Khanna, who is known to be outspoken and vocal about all issues, recently expressed her opinions about The Viral Fever (TVF) CEO and founder Arunabh Kumar’s statements. She condemned him for saying that it is okay to call a female co-worker ‘sexy’.

In an interview to Mumbai Mirror, Kumar said, “I am a heterosexual, single man and when I find a woman sexy, I tell her she’s sexy. I compliment women. Is that wrong? Having said that, I am very particular about my behaviour – I will approach a woman, but never force myself.”

Twinkle Khanna argues that this is an example of a situation where an employee, who is privileged, believes that rules are meant for everyone else except themselves. She is of the opinion that such a statement undermines female employees’ credentials, as well as the effort they put it at the workplace and the sacrifices they make at home.

“By calling a woman ‘sexy’ in a working environment, you are undermining everything she has worked for, the stereotypes she has had to break, the pride she takes in her abilities, and the inevitable guilt that she feels about not being home with her children, just to be there in that office, trying to make her place in the world,” she says.

She says that despite being an assertive woman, she too has been at the receiving end of sexual harassment from a client who sent her lewd messages, which eventually caused her to break down. She adds that women continually choose to ignore the unwanted attention they receive at the workplace.

Her advice to male bosses is that they must search outside offices for romance, and in the case that they do happen to fall for an employee, they can ask the employee out to dinner in a decent manner. She highlights that women would prefer compliments that are work-related.

Khanna concluded by saying that the word ‘sexy’ would be appropriate in an exchange at the workplace only if the boss was a pimp and the employee was a stripper.