A short video shared on X (formerly Twitter) has triggered a heated online debate after a Canadian tourist documented an unusual interaction she had with a group of young Indian women during her visit to the country. What began as a seemingly light-hearted exchange quickly turned into a wider conversation on consent, social boundaries, and alleged double standards in public behaviour.
What happened in the viral clip
In the viral video, the Canadian woman is seen being approached by a group of Indian girls who strike up a friendly conversation with her. During the interaction, the girls ask to see pictures of her boyfriend. After she obliges, the mood shifts from curiosity to overt admiration.
The girls are heard complimenting the man, calling him “nice” and “awesome,” while one of them even blows a flying kiss toward the phone displaying his picture. The tourist appears amused in the moment, but the clip took on a different tone once it began circulating widely online.
Caption that fueled the firestorm
What intensified the backlash was the caption accompanying the video, which framed the interaction as inappropriate and unsettling. It read:
“A Canadian female tourist was approached by a group of Indian girls. They asked her to show them her boyfriend’s pics, then started making creepy comments about him. One even gave a flying kiss. Why is it allowed for women to be creepy? Imagine the outrage if a man did the same to a tourist’s girlfriend.”
The wording prompted users to view the incident through the lens of gender-based double standards, setting off a wave of reactions across social media platforms.
Internet divided: Harmless fun or poor manners?
As the video gained traction, opinions quickly split. Some users dismissed the incident as harmless admiration and cultural curiosity, arguing that the girls did not intend any disrespect.
One user commented, “No offence meant. They liked and appreciated you as a person. It wasn’t meant to denigrate. Well, they would have liked to be in your shoes …”
Others, however, felt the behaviour crossed a line and reflected a lack of basic etiquette, especially when directed at a stranger.
Claims of gender bias take centre stage
A significant section of users focused less on the girls themselves and more on what they saw as society’s inconsistent reactions to similar situations involving men.
One post read, “If guys did this, it'd be front-page ‘predator’ news. But girls get a pass because ‘cute’. Society's hypocrisy is unreal.”
Another user echoed the sentiment in a more blunt tone, “Bro, yeh toh daily scene hai. Girls openly simp kar sakti hain gora bf pics pe, flying kiss bhi de deti hain, sab cute lagta hai. Par agar ladke ne same kiya tourist ladki ke saath → jail + cancel + ‘men are trash’ trend on fire. Double standards expert level.”
These reactions reignited a long-standing online debate about how public behaviour is judged differently based on gender.
