From Faye D'Souza to Aparna from Indian Matchmaking: 13 feminist clapbacks that will have sexists running for cover
In honour of the original clapback icon, the late great Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” Feminist clapbacks like these might look sexy on a T-shirt, but it was the life motto of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a judge of the American Supreme Court and one of the most unapologetic icons of our time, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 87.
The Notorious RBG, as she was fondly referred to, inspired women from every corner of the globe with her dedication to women’s reproductive rights, equal pay and battling systemic injustice at every level.
Indian news anchor and the reigning face of free media, Faye D’Souza, wrote, “Tell your children about her. Tell them about a woman 5 ft tall who rose to the top of her profession and as a judge, fought for justice and equality until her very last day. Girls, read up. She will help you when you feel the fight is too hard.”
Bader Ginsburg knew that to have your voice heard, you have to be a few decibels higher than everyone else. ““In my life, what I find most satisfying is that I was part of a movement that made life better, not just for women … gender discrimination is bad for everyone.”
In honour of the OG quotable quote machine and the women for whom she paved the way, memorise these clapbacks by fierce women like Sudha Murty, Anushka Sharma, Faye D’Souza, Sania Mirza and more for the next time someone tells you “You’re too sensitive” or “You should smile more”.
Sudha Murty
Entrepreneur, author, and activist Sudha Murty has a fair share of quotable feminist statements, but the one that inspires us the most comes in the form of snail mail.
Murty, right out of engineering school was on the lookout for jobs when she came across a classified advertisement by TELCO (Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company) that read “Young energetic engineers required. Ladies students need not apply.” Incensed, the ever-outspoken Murty dashed off a postcard to JRD Tata, the then chairman of Tata Group.
“What you are doing is wrong because TATA as a company is always ahead of its time. If a socially aware company like yours stops recruiting women, then how do you expect society to change?” read the postcard.
Murty became the first ever woman engineer to work at TELCO.
Anushka Sharma
“Ab jo lockdown tha toh sirf Anushka ki bowling ki practice ki hai unhone,” remarked commentator and former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar on Virat Kohli’s batting, during an IPL match.
While Gavaskar’s response to being called out for his comment stated that he was merely referring to a video featuring Anushka Sharma bowling to Virat, the innuendo is hard to ignore.
And one that Sharma was in no mood to brush aside.
She took to Instagram to address the incident and said “That, Mr Gavaskar, your message is distasteful is a fact but I would love for you to explain why you thought of making such a sweeping statement on a wife accusing her for her husband’s game? I’m sure over the years you have respected the private lives of every cricketer while communicating on the game. Don’t you think you should have equal amount of respect for me and us?”
She went on to talk about how this not the first time she has found herself at the receiving end of this sexist trope that normalises blaming a woman for a man’s performance.
Faye D’Souza
Maulana Yasoob Abbas, in a newsroom debate centred around cyber bullying pertaining to what female actors wear, asked the celebrated news anchor to show up to work in her underwear if she wanted to be considered equal to men.
Understanding the rationale behind this statement is like chasing a one-rupee coin downhill, a thorough waste of time.
D’Souza’s iconic clapback to this statement took the internet by storm. “Let me tell you, Maulana ji. Aap jaise maine bahut dekhe hain (I have dealt with a lot of men like you). I’m not afraid of you, I am not threatened by you, and most of all, I am not rattled by you,” said the journalist. “All you men think that if you rattle women when they’re doing their jobs, they will run back into their kitchens, cover themselves up, and leave the world again for you to conquer, I have news for you – we are not going anywhere.”
Naomi Osaka
Tennis champ Osaka is a Black Lives Matter supporter, who actively voices her support through social media. For the recent US Open, she wore a mask printed with the names of victims of police brutality ever single day.
Osaka did have hordes of people applauding her stance, but also drew attention from haters who advised her to keep politics away from sports.
Osaka’s response to this hate was nothing short of iconic – “All the people that were telling me to “keep politics out of sports”, (which it wasn’t political at all), really inspired me to win. You better believe I’m gonna try to be on your tv for as long as possible.”
No prizes for guessing who walked home with the winner’s trophy.
Sania Mirza
A woman could be the best at what she does, but the world will still not deem her accomplished until she is married or with child.
That’s exactly what happened with tennis star Sania Mirza in 2016, when a senior journalist asked her when she plans on settling down, and “building a family”?
Mirza wasn’t having any of it.
“You sound disappointed that I’m not choosing motherhood over being number one in the world at this point of time. But I’ll answer your question anyway, that’s the question I face all the time as a woman, that all women have to face — the first is marriage and then it’s motherhood. Unfortunately, that’s when we’re settled, and no matter how many Wimbledons we win or number ones in the world we become, we don’t become settled. But eventually it will happen, not right now. And when it does happen, I’ll be the first one to tell everybody when I plan to do that.”
Tina Fey
The funniest woman on TV is also the fiercest. In Bossypants, Fey’s autobiography, she throws light on sexism in show business. While talking about the many titles given to outspoken women, Fey hands out feminist clapbacks with her characteristic wit intact.
“I have a suspicion that the definition of ‘crazy’ in show business is a woman who keeps talking even after no one wants to f**k her anymore. The only person I can think of that has escaped the ‘crazy’ moniker is Betty White, which, obviously, is because people still want to have sex with her,” wrote Fey.
Indra Nooyi
What’s better than witnessing a mic-drop worthy burn?
Listening to an icon like ex PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, talk about how she served her burn piping hot: “I asked my parents for permission to study in America and they were so sure that I wouldn’t get in and get a scholarship that they encouraged me to try. So I applied to Yale and got an excellent scholarship.”
Simone Biles
An Olympic gold medalist and the most decorated gymnast in World Championship history, Biles competed in an American reality TV show called Dancing With the Stars.
After her performance, the host pointed out how Biles didn’t once smile as the judges complimented her performance. “Smiling doesn’t win you gold medals,” retorted the gymnast.
Amal Clooney
If Amal Clooney’s history of championing human rights at the highest courts in the land doesn’t bowl you over, her razor-sharp intellect will. In 2015, she represented Armenia in a genocide trial against Turkey, and someone thought it would be a good idea to ask her what she would be wearing to the court appearance. The human rights lawyer responded with “I’m wearing Ede and Ravenscroft.”
Ede and Ravenscroft were the manufacturers of Clooney’s legal robes. Expect an iconic lawyer to bowl you over with feminist clapbacks without you ever realising you were just schooled.
Anita Sengupta
Anita Sengupta is a former NASA scientist responsible for developing a parachute that helped put the Curiosity rover on Mars. She’s also the co-founder of Airspace Experience Technologies.
While showing her support towards ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission and the people associated with the mission, Sengupta tweeted about how landing on any planet is hard and a great feat.
Indian men decided to point out that moon in fact was not a planet, knowing fully well that the person they were talking to has worked in the field of aeronautics for 20 years.
Sengupta gave the trolls a lesson in EDL (Entry, Descent and Landing), while highlighting that the term planet could refer to all airless bodies. She even presented them with a chart on how to resist the urge to mansplain.
Saina Nehwal
Kill them with kindness is the mantra that fuels this former world number one badminton player’s feminist clapbacks.
When asked to pack her bags because she had supposedly been dethroned as the best badminton player in India, Nehwal chose to respond with dignity while setting a perfect example of what sportsman spirit looks like. “Sure, thank you. Sindhu is doing really well. India is doing really well,” she tweeted in response to the comment.
Lesson to be learnt: Surprise them with your kindness, and they won’t know where to look.
The troll later issued an apology.
Katherine J Mack
When feminist clapbacks come from the genteel world of science, you can’t help but stand up and applaud. Astrophysicist Katherine J Mack expressed concern on Twitter about the disastrous effects of climate change, and of course, some man, safely tucked behind his computer screen, mistook this as an opportunity to make a fool of himself. “Maybe you should learn some actual SCIENCE then,” he wrote.
“I dunno, man, I already went and got a PhD in astrophysics. Seems like more than that would be overkill at this point,” she tweeted in response, leaving everyone in splits.
Aparna Shewakramani
When Aparna Shewakramani, of Indian Matchmaking fame, was asked what she thought of her portrayal on the show and how she felt about being vilified on international TV, here’s what she had to say:
“When I was in my 20s, I wanted all men to love me. I thought how can I dress, talk or act or lessen myself in any way or quiet myself or how do I reduce something in me to make more men like me — until I got to my 30s. Then I realised I just wanted the one man to like me, one who would applaud me for my education, success, personality and me. I wish someone had told me that in my 20s — ‘Do not try to be likeable to men, for men and because of men and how they feel. Be likeable to you. and I like me’.”