Bengaluru Auto's 'Virgin or Not' Message for Women Sparks Chatter Online. Empowering or Provocative?

An auto driver in Bengaluru displayed a message for women on the back of his auto and it has become a point of discussion on social media. A picture of the auto, shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) by the woman who goes by “retired sports fan”, carries the caption, “Some radical feminism on the roads of Bangalore.”

Read| Bengaluru Woman Orders iPhone 15 on Flipkart, ‘Delivery Boy’ Denies Open Box Delivery. Then…

“Slim or fat, black or white, virgin or not. All girls deserve respect,” is the message displayed on the auto. While many have hailed this statement as empowering, others find it to be provocative.

“It’s not even radical,” quipped one Internet user, while another admitted to have seen “worst” slogans on autos. “I’ve seen worse,” they remarked, sharing an image of another contentious auto display.

Take a look at the message plastered on the auto running on Bengaluru streets:

One Internet user, after reading the message, said, “Respect looks like it was an afterthought,” adding that it “sums up the state of feminism today”.

“All these men with ‘respect women’ and these kinda quotes are probably more toxic to women in real life,” said another.

A third pointed out, “Motive: Respect women.” He adds, “The first 2 lines are today’s men’s state of mind.”

“It’s not radical feminism. Yes, I agree that it could have been written married or unmarried instead of virgin or not virgin. At least the driver is respecting women,” argued a fourth.

Also Read| ‘I Love Bengaluru’: Instagram Influencer Takes a U-turn After Row Over ‘North Indians’ Remarks

Some even said that they “love this auto”, with one echoing, “Lovely message I hope people follow religiously.”

“How hard is it to just say that all girls deserve respect?” asked yet another.

A few X users even disagreed with the original poster, saying that this “feminism” that is displayed is not “radical” but rather “basic”.

“Some people are seriously retarded. What does respecting someone have to do with their weight, virginity or colour,” chimed in yet another.

Provocative or empowering? You decide.