New Delhi: As influencer Ankush Bahuguna walked through the streets of London in a hot pink suit, the comments began almost immediately. “Welcome to the parade,” a man shouted repeatedly from across the street, followed by hooting, catcalls, and laughter from others.
In the now-viral Instagram reel, Bahuguna’s expression visibly changes as the shouting continues—from confusion and discomfort to shock.
The reel, titled “Homophobia on the streets of London,” has garnered more than 3.3 million views in less than a day, drawing widespread attention online. The caption read: “What weak, insecure men sound like.”
The comments section is flooded with supportive and uplifting messages, with many users expressing outrage over the harassment.
Bahuguna, one of India’s most prominent male beauty and makeup creators, is known for normalising men wearing makeup and challenging rigid ideas of masculinity through his content. He wore the bright pink outfit while attending a Huda Beauty event in London.
“You think, ‘This is London, it would be more progressive, more open-minded, more modern,’ but clearly not,” Bahuguna says in the reel. He added that although he wanted to respond to the men making comments, their numbers felt intimidating, and he feared for his safety.
He also said that the incident was not isolated, but something he had been experiencing all morning, managing to capture this particular one on camera.
“Every time I pass a group of guys, they make these comments. The girls are like, ‘Love your fit’ or ‘You look so good,’ so it’s clearly a men problem. Not just grown men, even little kids have walked past me and said absurd shit,” he said.
Later, in an Instagram story, Bahuguna thanked followers for their messages of support and said that he had debated whether to share the video or not.
“But I know a lot of guys follow me. And men are capable of causing so much harm (without even realising it sometimes) simply because they were never taught better. I think people should see how ridiculous and unnecessary these comments sound from the outside,” he wrote.
Also Read: Inside the influencer industry—relevance, relatability and revenue
Online response and reactions
The reel prompted responses from several creators and public figures.
“Most men who feel the need to do this have probably never given themselves the chance to wear beautiful clothes. Deep down, many of them wish they could feel as fabulous as you do, but their own rigid ideas of masculinity stop them from dressing, expressing and living as freely,” commented actor and content creator Kusha Kapila.
Author and sex educator Seema Anand shared her outrage over the incident.
“This is horrid. It’s the remnants of the Tommy Robinson/Reform Party sickos parade from earlier,” Anand commented.
Actor Kubbra Sait also reacted to the video, writing: “Your eyes… I could sense the fear and lack of safety.”
The incident has since sparked wider conversations online around street harassment, gender expression and the policing of masculinity, with many pointing out how men who do not conform to traditional masculine norms are often subjected to ridicule and hostility in public spaces, even in cities perceived to be liberal and progressive.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)