The rise of social media has certainly amplified the scrutiny of celebrities’ lives, but women celebrities often face even greater online harassment and criticism. Their actions and decisions are routinely criticised and judged by millions, whether it’s their choice to marry or date someone younger, conceive a child soon after marriage or many years later, or go through a separation.

Many female celebrities, including Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Natasa Stankovic, Sonakshi Sinha, Kusha Kapila and Malaika Arora, among others, have been hyper-scrutinised online for various reasons.

“Everything a woman does is put in headlines,” Alia had said in an interview with PTI news agency in 2022, when she was relentlessly trolled for announcing her pregnancy two months after her wedding to Ranbir Kapoor. “Whether she has decided to become a mother, she is dating somebody new, she is going for a cricket match or on a holiday. For some reason, the eyeballs are always on women’s choices,” the ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ star added.

In the past, Anushka had received unwarranted hate and was even called “bad luck” for her cricketer-husband Virat Kohli’s poor performance on the field. The situation escalated to the point where Virat had to publicly defend her on social media, condemning the trolls and calling for compassion. He had shared the tweet with a picture of the word “SHAME” back in March 2016, right after India reached the semi-finals of the World T20 championship.

“Shame on people for trolling @AnushkaSharma non-stop. Have some compassion. She has always only given me positivity,” Virat had tweeted. Although the situation didn’t improve immediately, Virat’s firm stance helped curb some of the negativity directed at the couple.

Shame on people for trolling @AnushkaSharma non-stop. Have some compassion. She has always only given me positivity pic.twitter.com/OBIMA2EZKu

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 28, 2016

Shame on people for trolling @AnushkaSharma non-stop. Have some compassion. She has always only given me positivity pic.twitter.com/OBIMA2EZKu— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 28, 2016

Priyanka Chopra and Malaika Arora were heavily judged when they began dating younger men, Nick Jonas and Arjun Kapoor, respectively. While Priyanka is now happily married to Nick, Malaika and Arjun are said to have parted ways. However, both women have repeatedly addressed how they have been unfazed by the public’s focus on the age gaps in their respective relationships.

Deepika has been trolled left, right, and centre ever since she announced her pregnancy online. She is expecting her first baby with Ranveer Singh. However, a section of netizens hasn’t missed a single opportunity to scrutinise her baby bump every time she’s been papped. The backlash has been so severe that it reportedly led her to skip a couple of public appearances recently.

A screenshot of distasteful comments on Deepika Padukone’s Instagram comment section regarding her baby bump.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu was subjected to all sorts of nasty comments about her divorce from Naga Chaitanya, with some even suggesting that she had ‘robbed’ crores in alimony. Despite their mutual announcement of separation, Samantha bore the brunt of the blame, highlighting a persistent issue of sexism in online spaces. The trolling became so intense that the actress had to issue a statement dismissing all the claims. “They say I had affairs, never wanted children, that I am an opportunist, and now that I have had abortions. A divorce in itself is an extremely painful process. Adding to that, the relentless attacks make it even harder to heal. But I promise you this: I will never allow this or anything else they say to break me,” she said.

After social media influencer and actor Kusha Kapila announced her separation from Zorawar Singh Ahluwalia last year, she was bullied online. The trolling continued despite Zorawar clarifying that their decision to get divorced was mutual, and it was “shameful” of people to character assassinate Kusha and “paint her as a villain.”

Of late, Saba Azad, Sonakshi Sinha, and Natasa Stankovic have been facing intense scrutiny and criticism for their relationships. Recently, Saba Azad shared that her career opportunities dwindled after she started dating Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan. She revealed that people assumed she would no longer want to work, resulting in a sudden drop in voice-over project offers. “I never told anyone I’m quitting, never said I’m disinterested, I never altered my sessions fee, nothing was different from my end so what changed? Are we really still living in the dark ages where we assume a woman in a relationship with a successful partner no longer has to put food on her own table?? Or pay her rent and bills? or take pride in her work and take care of herself and her family? What kind of an archaic assumption to make?”

Sonakshi Sinha, on the other hand, endured brutal trolling for her interfaith marriage to Zaheer Iqbal. The actress had to turn off her Instagram comment section while sharing her wedding photos to shield herself from the vitriol. In an interview with Times Entertainment, the couple described their interfaith wedding as beautiful, emphasising their shared values. “In seven years of our relationship, the fact that we are from different faiths never came up in a discussion,” Sonakshi added.

Natasa Stankovic has been facing significant backlash on social media since announcing her separation from Hardik Pandya. Despite their joint statement on the mutual decision to part ways, Natasa’s social media has been inundated with negative comments blaming her for the split.

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Hardik faced similar scrutiny when he was chosen to lead Mumbai Indians (MI) instead of Rohit Sharma during the IPL 2024. However, the internet had a change of heart after his exceptional performance in the T20 World Cup played a crucial role in Team India’s victory earlier this month. But Natasa continues to receive hate on the internet, with netizens dropping comments like, “You separated a son from his father, god will never forgive you” and “Who is she? Ex-wife of some cricketer?”

While some may view this criticism as an unavoidable aspect of fame, numerous celebrities have confessed that persistent online negativity and trolling around their personal lives deeply affect their mental health. Moreover, these instances prove how every move made by women is subjected to far greater scrutiny compared to their male counterparts. Whether it’s their relationships, professional choices, or personal decisions, female celebrities often face disproportionate criticism and judgement on social media. This heightened focus not only reflects deep-seated gender biases but also highlights the intense pressure women endure in the public eye.