Personal care and grooming products brand Bombay Shaving Company also published an advertisement trying to position themselves as standing in solidarity with Prachi, but received flak for capitalising on the situation.
The ad said: “Dear Prachi, They are trolling your hair today, they’ll applaud your A.I.R. tomorrow.” But smaller text below the ad read, “We hope you never get bullied into using our razor.”
Plenty of people called out the abuse on social media, pointing to the double standards young women and girls have to live with.
She is Prachi Nigam, She is topper of UP Board High School.
This is literally very sad, that trollers trolled her for her facial hair rather appreciating her academic achievements. She is teenager.
Dear Prachi every sane person is with you, We are proud of you ❤️
Tears…
pic.twitter.com/84utWddVB0
— Swati Dixit ಸ್ವಾತಿ (@vibewidyou)
April 27, 2024
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UP topper, Prachi Nigam from India was relentlessly trolled by grown folks for her physical appearance.
I wish people understood, she's just a kid.
pic.twitter.com/la3abpj0xz
— Pessimist (@rues_blog)
April 28, 2024
This video left me with moist eyes - partly because she is such a wonderful child, so evolved in her thoughts, and also due to the disgust caused by the society we have become. Those who trolled her on her looks deserve a special place in hell.
#PrachiNigam https://t.co/AXrnCz4qO6
— Ananth Rupanagudi (@Ananth_IRAS)
April 27, 2024
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This is in seriously bad taste. Such blatant opportunism.
#PrachiNigam pic.twitter.com/hviHRvNZj8
— Shunali Khullar Shroff (@shunalishroff)
April 29, 2024
Prachi said no one in her immediate circle ever pointed out something being wrong with her appearance and she had “never bothered” about it.
“It was only when my photograph was published after the results that people started trolling me and then my attention was drawn to the problem,” she told IANS.
However, she said she isn’t paying attention to the comments anymore.
“It obviously feels bad, but people write what they think and nothing can be done about it.”
“If I had scored less, I would not have topped and become famous. Maybe that would have been better,” she told BBC Hindi.
“People see girls with hair and feel weird about it because they have not seen this before,” she said. Prachi’s parents too seem to have taken on the same attitude as their daughter.
“There are all kinds of people in society. We naturally felt bad, but at the same time, we are proud of our daughter for scoring the highest marks,” Prachi’s father, Chandra Prakash Nigam said.
Eventually, Prachi says, her plan is to study further and become an engineer.
“What will ultimately matter are my marks and not the hair on my face,” she said
