Men’s rights activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj has started a debate on dating norms in India with two screenshots. The screenshots show the WhatsApp chat between a man and a woman as they prepare to meet for a coffee date and – later – their exchange after the woman’s shopping spree at a Noida mall. In both cases, the woman requests money from the man.
In the first screenshot, the man asks the woman if she is free to catch up over a cup of coffee. She agrees but asks him for ₹10,000 so she can get ready for the date. The woman also lists her expenses - waxing, manicure, nails, pedicure, dress, shoes and makeup - as justification for the amount. After providing the man with her UPI ID, she says “Free dates aren't’ exciting these days.”
In the next screenshot, the unnamed woman again appears to ask the man for money. This time, she asks for “help with ₹5-6k” claiming that she overspent while shopping at the Mall of India. When the man asks her what she spent on, she replies: “Shoes and shirts.”
Asked why she needs more money now, the woman says she needs it to travel to office until she gets her salary. She also claimed that her account balance is now at ₹800.
Take a look at the screenshots below:
{{/usCountry}}Asked why she needs more money now, the woman says she needs it to travel to office until she gets her salary. She also claimed that her account balance is now at ₹800.
Take a look at the screenshots below:
{{/usCountry}}The exchange has sparked outrage on the social media platform X, where the screenshots have been viewed over 1.5 lakh times.
“And the sad part is that so many boys/Men are ready the bear these expenses,” wrote X user CA Ankit in the comments section.
“This so called dating feels like a business deal,” another opined.
“The women are leveraging weak and lonely men for their expenses,” a third user said, while a fourth added: “That's not dating, that's begging.”