Therapist and content creator Divija Bhasin has found herself at the centre of a nationwide online controversy after a video she posted on Instagram went viral for reclaiming a word historically used as a slur against women. The clip, which has accumulated over 5.4 million views, featured Bhasin confronting the word directly and questioning why it continues to hold power as an insult.
In the video, Bhasin asked viewers, “R****, R****, Ra****! Did you also find it uncomfortable to hear?” She went on to explain that she no longer felt affected by the term, saying, “Men called me that word every single day in my comment section.”
Bhasin said her aim was to reclaim the word in the same way it is used against women online — to describe any woman who is “independent and has an opinion.” She added, “I am a proud R****. R**** supremacy.”
The influencer, who is also known by her handle @awkwardgoat3, said that while she once found the word disturbing, repeated online targeting had desensitised her to it. “It used to make me cringe, but now it makes me feel nothing,” she stated. “Earlier it referred to a sex worker and became an insult, which is ridiculous, because the insult is on the man who is sleeping with the sex worker and not the workers themselves.”
Following the video, Bhasin said she asked her 520,000 followers to share experiences of being called the same word. Among the responses she received, one came from a woman who claimed that her father had called her that when she was just six years old. Bhasin said such examples revealed how commonplace and socially accepted verbal abuse towards women had become.
In a post on X, she said, “I am sorry he called you r***i. No woman should have to hear this. I am called r***i every day. I get rape threats everyday. That is why I decided to talk about it. I am just a woman who has had enough and has a platform to talk about it. Think about all the women who don’t have that privilege. This movement helps them too.”
She also encouraged others to “accept it in any way they wish,” whether privately or by doing what she did — adding #ProudRa**i to their social media bios.
The move quickly triggered widespread reaction across social media platforms including Instagram, X, and Reddit. Supporters viewed it as a symbolic act of empowerment, while critics described it as distasteful and misguided.
As the hashtag spread, several young women began adding it to their profiles in solidarity. However, many others objected, saying the term’s original meaning — a reference to women in sex work — made it inappropriate to reclaim in this way.
A creator, known as Thereeltherapist, explained in a post that the term is linked to exploitation and trafficking. “That word is associated with women who are sold, drugged, and raped by twenty men a day,” she said. “Reclaiming pain isn’t the same as healing it.”
The online dispute soon escalated beyond debate. Anubhav Gupta, who identifies himself on X as a trader and “Sanatani Hindu”, announced that he had filed a complaint under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, accusing Bhasin of “influencing minors to use inappropriate language and promoting offensive behaviour.”
He wrote on X, “I have filed a formal complaint for an FIR to UP Police against @DivijaBhasin for influencing minors to use inappropriate slurs and provoke them to indulge in such professions, which are offences under POCSO and various sections of Indian law.”
It’s okay if I go to jail.At least I’ll go as a #ProudRandipic.twitter.com/5OU0FVggIC — awkwardgoat3(@DivijaBhasin) November 10, 2025
Around the same time, another X user identifying as an advocate at the Bombay High Court under the handle @HindutvaNaari publicly demanded that Bhasin issue an apology. “Either a public apology or I will file an FIR by tomorrow morning,” she posted, later claiming she had lodged a police complaint after Bhasin refused to remove the video.
I'm an Advocate at Bombay High Court, I've submitted a formal complaint for FIR against @DivijaBhasin in the morning. Have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow with MH Police, I request everyone to get FIR Registered in multiple states to that bail will be impossible for her. https://t.co/nx1F80mkYr — Hindutva Naari (@HindutvaNaari) November 10, 2025
In response to the legal complaints, Bhasin said she was willing to accept the consequences of her actions. “If I go to jail for calling myself r****, then all the men who called me r**** will have to go too. I’m fine with that,” she wrote. “I’ll happily go to jail if it means people will finally start taking verbal abuse against women seriously.”
While Bhasin’s supporters praised her for confronting misogyny head-on, her critics viewed the movement as reckless, especially given her influence among younger audiences.
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