Lilly Singh: From Rakhi Sexism to Bra Toss Challenge

By Little India Desk | August 22, 2017

The Indian-origin YouTube sensation, Lilly Singh aka Superwoman who is known for her witty YouTube videos and taking a stand against day today sexism has now hit out against the Indian tradition of ‘Rakhi’. It’s a festival in which sisters tie a decorative thread on their brother’s hands symbolizing the promise that the brother will protect the sister.

“Girls shouldn’t be raised to believe that brothers should protect and sisters require protection. Rather, they should be taught that they are equal and they both should make a promise to each other,” the 29-year-old wrote in the Facebook post.

Internet Sensation

Singh’s parents are originally from Punjab, India but she was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She shot to fame for her hilariously relatable YouTube videos which echoed with the youth.

Her enactment of her Indian parents has been the highlight of many of her videos. It hit close home for Indians across the world. Singh became UNICEF’S Global Goodwill Ambassador in July this year.

Talking about the dangers of blindly following such traditions, in a social media post Singh said:

One of the videos that made Lilly Singh popular as Superwoman, was the “Girls On Their Periods” which broke stereotype of keeping everything related menstruating a hush-hush business.

Her Stand Against Sexism

It’s not the first time the social media influencer stood up against sexism. Singh has been targeted by internet trolls, who often resort to commenting about her accent, her Indian background as well as lewd comments that women often get, including the popular male chauvinist comeback, “Go make a sandwich.”

Inspired by these wonderful comments, Singh made a video brimming with sarcasm titled “How to Make a Sandwich” in November 2016. In the video she uses the usual ingredients that goes into the sandwich to subtly slap down the sexist comments.

“Please note that I am using fresh ingredients to make up for your expired thought process,” Singh says in the video. The video went viral within hours of uploading it.

“One of the most controversial things I’ve ever said was that I’m a feminist,” she told Huffington Post. “To this day, anytime I talk about anything related to women’s issues, I receive most backlash.”

#GirlLove Campaign

In 2015, Singh started a worldwide campaign against girl-on-girl hate in which she collaborated with many popular YouTubers to talk about the damage that it does. Her campaign that was called, #Girllove, on social media platforms encouraged women to support each other and bring each other up.

The campaign asked women to compliment other women and post it on social media with the hashtag #GirlLove. Singh also stated that all the revenue from the launch video on YouTube, will go to the Malala Fund to educate girls.

It’s been two years since the launch, the #GirlLove campaign has become an integral part of Singh’s journey.

#BraToss Challenge

This year, on International Women’s Day, Singh launched the #BraToss challenge, “a fun way for women to show appreciation and support towards other women who have inspired them.”

“This is my bra,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “And I’m throwing it in support of every type of woman around the world. And I’m challenging every viewer of this video who believes in the power of sisterhood to take the bra toss challenge, because we’re in this together!”

With her bold social media campaigns, reaching out to more than 12 million followers, she is one of the biggest youth influencers in the world. The voice she raises can send ripples across the world. That’s what Singh has been doing, to say it in her words, like a bawse.