This newspaper advertisement has drawn flak on social media.
Credit: LinkedIn/shantanudeshpandebsc
Prachi Nigam, the class 10 board topper from Uttar Pradesh, has been subject to constant trolls on social media since her pictures began circulating on the internet.
People making fun of her on social media for her facial hair have themselves been called out for targeting a minor based on her appearance.
However, amidst all this attention on her, Prachi has remained unfazed as she believes it is her marks that matter, and not her physical features, according to a report by NDTV.
"When I saw that people were trolling me, it didn't bother me much. My marks matters, not my facial hair," the publication quoted her as saying.
Prachi wishes no ill towards people who have been talking about her. She told the publication, "When my picture was shared on social media as the UP Board examination topper, some people trolled me. At the same time, there were people who supported me. I want to thank them all."
The publication cited sources saying Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also met Prachi and encouraged her to pursue her dreams in life.
On the other hand, Bombae, a brand by the Bombay Shaving Company, is facing severe backlash on social media after it put out a full-page newspaper advertisement in apparent 'support' of Prachi.
The ad reads, "Dear Prachi, They are trolling your hair today, they'll applaud your A.I.R tomorrow."
At the bottom-right corner of the page in smaller fonts there's another line: "We hope you never get bullied into using our razor".
A picture of the newspaper ad was shared on LinkedIn by the company's founder, Shantanu Deshpande. Under the post, users accused him and the company of using an underage child's name without consent.
One user wrote, "You are insensitive to a child and using her pain for your commercial gain under the garb of empathy. You've caused her more embarrassment by taking out a full page ad in a national newspaper. Doesn't look like your education has taught you what real empathy is."
Another said, "Hey Shantanu, this is absolutely absurd. Nothing cool about this ad and it’s so unfortunate that even companies with repute doesn’t want to leave a chance of leveraging an unfortunate incident. Supporting the cause I pledge to never buy a product of your company".