'Why Use The Word Sex?': Sushmita Sen Says She Was Judged For Being Bold & Outspoken At 18

Sushmita Sen broke the norm after she became the first Indian to win the Miss Universe crown at the young age of 18. But despite her win, she was subjected to judgement and scrutiny over her bold choices and outspoken nature, so much so that her parents asked her to not use the word 'sex' in interviews.

Sushmita revealed on Rhea Chakraborty's podcast how the society was not 'accepting' in the 90s, and that parents even thought her to be bad influence on their children.

"Everything was 'hawww' to the extent that Maa and Baba had to sit me down and say, 'There is a lot riding on your shoulders and curb a little bit of what you’re saying. Why use the word ‘sex’ in an interview at 18? Shobhaa De’s writing badly about you'," Sushmita recalled.

She added that when she later sat down for an interview with Shobhaa De, she deliberately used the word 'sex', only to be a rebel and be free from the clutches of societal norms and judgements.

"I had to fight really hard and at that time, there were also moms and dads who thought I was a bad influence on children because I was so outspoken," she shared.

On the work front, Sushmita was last seen in the web series Aarya, which received positive reviews from the audience. She also played the role of transgender activist Gauri Sawant in Taali, and though the series failed to make a mark, Sushmita's performance was lauded by the critics.