Users who vociferously defended Prachi Nigam from the cyberbullies asserted that the young woman made her parents and her school proud with her achievement, and her appearance should not be brought into focus.
Uttar Pradesh girl, Prachi Nigam, who topped the Class 10 board exams in the state, securing an extraordinary score of 98.5 percent, has faced massive trolling from online trolls, who attacked the Sitapur teen for her appearance, especially having facial hair, which by the way is the result of a hormonal condition she is afflicted with.
As soon as the picture of Prachi emerged on social media following her remarkable achievement, trolls pounced on her, overlooking her academic laurels, and started passing cruel, misogynistic and utterly vile comments over her appearance.
Trolls attacked the teenager for “not shaving” or “visiting a salon” before appearing on camera, and even morphed her picture to match the mainstream beauty standards.
It’s so easy for people to mock this young girl Prachi Nigam over her facial hair which may be due to hormonal imbalance. Have they ever thought how it can affect the little girl? pic.twitter.com/km7Gby2ern
— Rohit (@Iam_Rohit_G) April 21, 2024
However, social media users quickly came to Prachi’s defence, castigating the online trolls for their “nasty and misogynistic” takes, while overlooking the young girl’s astounding academic achieving and attempting to impose a stereotypical view of feminine beauty over a young person.
Users asserted that Prachi’s exceptional academic achievement should be the focus of the limelight, not her looks, which are immaterial in the bigger scheme of things.
“This is a sad part of social media that people appreciate beauty, not talent,” a user wrote.
“When we take social media as positively, lots of things we can change together. Even though the Sitapur based Prachi Nigam topped the Class 10 of UP Board, she went onto become the subject of trolling on social media for her facial features, specifically her facial hair,” another user rued.
Netizens also noted that Prachi’s facial hair may be caused due to a hormonal condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is common among young women of menstrual age.
“It’s distasteful to mock this young girl Prachi Nigam over her facial hair which may be due to hormonal imbalance, after she emerged as Class 10 UP board topper,” a user noted.
“More power to such bright females — the hope of our country,” he added.
Users who vociferously defended Prachi Nigam from the cyberbullies asserted that the young woman made her parents and her school proud with her achievement, and her appearance should not be brought into focus.
Some users also expressed concern on how the cyberbullying may affect the psyche and confidence of a person when they are trolled for their looks at such a young age.
Who is Prachi Nigam?
Prachi Nigam, a student of the Sita Bal Vidya Mandir Inter College in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, emerged as topper in the UP Board Class 10 exams, the results of which were declared Sunday. Prachi, who aspires to crack the IIT-JEE entrance test and become an engineer, scored a stunning 591 out of 600 marks in the board exams.
Talking to reporters, Prachi attributed her success to hard work and and her penchant for regular attendance.
The results for the UP Class 10 exams, which were held between February 22 and March 9, 2024 at 8,265 centres across the state, were declared Saturday, with Prachi Nigam emerging as the topper with 591 marks, followed by Deepika Sonkar (590 marks), and in the third place, Navika Singh, Swati Singh, and Dipanshi Singh Sengar with 588 marks.
