Influencer Faces Backlash After Posting Video on Kolkata Rape-Murder While Doing Makeup

Influencer Sarah Sarosh has deleted a video in which she was getting ready and doing her makeup while the voiceover addressed a much more serious topic: the rape and murder of a doctor inside a hospital in Kolkata, a crime that has shocked the nation. Social media users quickly noticed the disconnect between the visuals and the heinous crime being discussed in the voiceover, slamming Sarosh for trivializing the issue.

As doctors and students participate in widespread protests, beauty influencer Sarah Sarosh posted a 'GRWM' (Get Ready With Me) video with a voiceover explaining the recent Kolkata rape-murder incident.

The one-minute and four-second clip went viral in no time, and the influencer faced the wrath of netizens for discussing such a sensitive issue while doing makeup and smiling. The footage captured her applying products like serums and face creams and posing after finishing her makeup.

How did the Internet React to the video? 

Sarosh faced backlash for trivializing the heinous crime discussed in the voiceover.

While most people called the video 'insensitive,' some defended her, arguing that she was trying to create awareness about the topic in a different way.

One user criticized the act as 'dumb,' writing, "This is how the so-called influencers of society are talking about such a heinous crime. Adding a voiceover, talking about the gut-wrenching incident over a GRWM video—so insensitive and so dumb. Why are people even following them?"

“At this point, these people’s accounts should be banned. If she really had to talk about this topic, she could’ve sat down rather than doing a GRWM. How are the audio and video related? Why would you upload a GRWM while talking about something so insensitive?” another person asked on a Reddit thread discussing the video.

“Looks like there’s no end to how low they can go for likes. Nothing is off limits. No basic human decency is required,” another X user posted.

However, another user defended her, writing, "I see where she is coming from. She is using her makeup content as a Trojan horse to create awareness. Not everyone is going to respond to posts by political accounts."

Another user defended her, saying, "People who blame this influencer missed the whole point of the video."

The Influencer's Apology

The influencer deleted the video within five minutes of posting it and acknowledged that the video and audio did not sync together.

Her apology read: "I posted a GRWM reel yesterday which was shot 2 months ago with a voiceover on the current affairs of the rape & murder incident,” the content creator said. “While editing it I did not realize how tone-deaf it would be for the audio and video to not sync and saw it as a way to make more people TALK about the important matters at hand because even posting a beauty video amongst these news wasn't feeling right.

“I deleted the video within the first 5 minutes of posting it because the comments made me realize instantly that the messaging is distasteful from my end,” she added. “I deeply apologize for my actions to all those who have come across the content through screen recordings of my deleted content being circulated on other platforms.”

She promised to be more mindful in the future.