'Hi sexy!' Sexist comment or compliment?

The word sexy crept into the Indian lexicon a long time ago but it continues to create ripples in a society where the conservative goes hand in hand with the modern Some find it outrageous and derogatory while others say it is important to see how the term is used The renewed debate comes after Mamta Sharma chairperson of the National Commission for Women NCW said If a group of boys eveteases you by calling you sexy you should not get provoked and instead you should take it positively Smriti Irani president of the Bharatiya Janata Partys BJP All India Mahila Morcha finds Sharmas statement irresponsible and derogatory Its extremely unfortunate that a woman of this stature has come up with such a remark Being the NCW chairperson it was her duty to talk in a responsible manner With this statement she has made a derogatory remark about the entire womens community It is absolutely outrageous to get comment like this from any man It is objectionable and disrespectful Irani told IANS Irani feels such remarks will add to crimes Despite several new initiatives by Delhi Police the year 2011 saw a significant rise in the number of rape and molestation cases 568 rape cases were reported last year compared to 507 in the previous year Sharma later regretted her remark saying If the remarks caused offence to anyone I apologise and withdraw any mention of it Social activist Nafisa Ali agrees with Irani but respects Sharmas apology I think the word sexy is derogatory for women but if Mamta said sorry then I dont have any problem I think she also highlighted that men should take care of words while talking to women Ali told IANS Actress and anchor Pooja Bedi says what is important is the manner in which such words are used Sexy is an adjective and one that denotes physical beauty I think the important aspect is not what is said but how it is said If the eyes rove lecherously and the facial expression is sleazy then its pure harassment Bedi said But someone randomly shouting it or stating it in a complimentary manner is something one can choose to ignore or smile and thank she said In the last few years filmdom has gone bold and brazen when it comes to the use of slangs In 1994 a song titled Sexy sexy sexy mujhe log bole featuring Karisma Kapoor had to be changed to Baby baby baby after the word sexy created an uproar So is Bollywood responsible for popularising such words Item girl Rakhi Sawant known for making headlines with her bold statements said Such remarks are perfectly fine as long as they are not from an unknown guy In fact there are many girls who are offended when a guy doesnt notice them I dont think there is anything wrong when someone calls you sexy After all you are sexy Pakistani actress Veena Malik says sexy is a beautiful word When men call a girl or woman sexy I feel its a compliment and every girl should believe that she is hot and sexy They should not feel bad or offended because its a beautiful word I personally feel great when men compliment me with such words I hear these compliments almost every day Its so common she added Former Miss India and model Shonal Rawat feels in todays time when modern girls work so hard on their bodies compliments like sexy could be termed as a confidence booster Getting such compliments from acquaintances gives a boost to the personality and from strangers too it is fine unless he harms you Perhaps modelactress Sophie Chaudhary hits bulls eye when she says Indian men should first learn how to compliment a woman I dont think there is anything wrong But there is a way of saying everything and thats something unfortunately our Indian men need to learn There is a way to talk to a girl complimenting a girl the 31yearold actor told IANS Even if they are saying you are looking sexy it should not be sleazy it should not be tacky If its said genuinely and nicely then it is definitely a compliment