Indian Woman Criticises Anjana Om Kashyap & Geeta Mohan for Sitting In 'Terrible Posture' In Front Of Russian President Vladimir Putin; Internet Asks Her To 'Relax'

A recent interview featuring Indian journalists Anjana Om Kashyap and Geeta Mohan with Russian President Vladimir Putin has triggered an unexpected controversy, not for its political content, but for how the two women sat.

Karuna Gopal, Advisor COE in AI at IIT Kanpur, took to X (formerly Twitter) to critique their posture after a photo of the interaction surfaced. In the image, both journalists are seated cross-legged before Putin, a posture Gopal argued was unsuitable for such a high-profile diplomatic setting.

Sharing the picture, she wrote, "Women have to be trained – crossing legs is fine but certainly not this way .. you sit back up, cross one leg over the other and then tuck it back in .. respecting yet being womanly."

Check out her tweet below:

Her post quickly gained traction, sparking a heated discussion on cultural etiquette, professionalism, and gender expectations.

Internet reacts

The comment section soon turned into a debate. One user questioned the appropriateness of crossed legs altogether, writing, "Karuna ji why does someone have to sit like that (with crossed legs), r they sitting at home? I hate when someone shows shoes like that… moreover the person they r interviewing," to which Gopal replied, "Terrible posture believing they are confident."

Another criticised the optics, commenting, "Looks odd & discourses as shoes are pointing towards the VIP guest!!"

But many defended the journalists, pushing back against what they saw as unnecessary policing of women’s bodies and asking her to "relax".

One user argued, "I think it is perfectly fine what they did. We have to get over these manners bs. Focus on content and not appearance. Also it is standard practice every freaking where to cross your legs."

Meanwhile, another added, "There’s no diplomatic or journalistic rule anywhere that dictates how a woman must sit in an interview. Body language studies are very clear a cross-legged posture usually signals comfort, confidence and focused listening. It isn’t “disrespect” in any international setting and journalists are not bound by gendered etiquette. If anything, this posture shows they were composed enough to stay relaxed in a high-pressure conversation. Professionalism isn’t measured by how someone arranges their legs…it’s measured by the quality of questions asked."