Social Media Star of The Week: Jainil Mehta

“I’ve always loved the flare of skirts; something I could explore when I felt free while dancing,” says Jainil Mehta, 23, who would steal his mother’s skirts from her wardrobe when he was seven, lock himself in a room and flaunt them

“I’ve always loved the flare of skirts; something I could explore when I felt free while dancing,” says Jainil Mehta, 23, who would steal his mother’s skirts from her wardrobe when he was seven, lock himself in a room and flaunt them.

Jainil Mehta attributes his recent dance on the ramp at the New York Fashion Week 2022 to social media

“I played the song Jalwa from the movie Fashion and walked around as though I was walking the ramp. More than a decade later, I danced at the New York Fashion Week. It’s come full circle,” smiles Jainil, who moved from Mumbai to LA to study dance for four years, after which he moved to New York.

Insta-win

Jainil attributes his recent dance on the ramp at the New York Fashion Week 2022 to social media.

It was through Instagram that Archana Kochhar’s daughter, who handles the marketing aspect of her mother’s business, reached out to Jainil in July 2022, stating that she had been loving his #MenInSkirts posts. He had gone viral when he posted a Reel dancing to Gangubai’s Jhume Re Gori in March 2022, bringing the #MenInSkirts movement to light.

Jainil Mehta, 23, who would steal his mother’s skirts from her wardrobe when he was seven, lock himself in a room and flaunt them

This was right after he had graduated and was looking for a job in New York, while also trying to find his own unique styles in dance. #MenInSkirts became a public statement from a personal story. And it all began with Jainil wearing skirts in public.

“I’ve had a journey with skirts. Earlier, I wore them only while enclosed in studios. Now, I wear them where I want to. It’s amazing not having to worry about how other people will react to it. More people are today wondering what I’ll be wearing next than judging me for it,” says the dancer.

The need to refocus

Of course, there was some snickering initially, but not as much as he had feared. “It was a different perception so people did judge initially. Now, there’s no fear when I go out wearing a skirt,” says Jainil. He still gets hate comments, but he focusses on the 80 per cent of his followers who support him.

Though his skirt movement started because of his love for skirts, it soon became about normalising men’s choice to wear skirts.

“There are a lot of restrictions in society. I had to decide what to wear for my brother’s wedding and didn’t want the sherwani or kurta. I wanted those restrictions to be eliminated. A lot of people today recognise me through #MeninSkirts, which is great. If I can pull it off, I can continue or even start the conversation,” says Jainil, who finally wore an anarkali with a jacket for his brother’s wedding.

Who should be the next HT Brunch Social Media Star Of The Week? Nominate using the hashtag #BrunchSocialMediaStarOTW or email htbrunch@hindustantimes.com

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From HT Brunch, October 1, 2022

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