India Love as a Woman: Debunking Stigma and Objectification

Born on Feb 3, 1996, India Love Westbrooks was born in California into a big family with two old brothers and four younger sisters. Growing up, she never had the happy childhood she had hoped for nor the happiest family life. She originally grew up in Campton, California, but later moved to Corona because of the tough situation of living there. Moving was supposed to bring a better chance. Unfortunately, it didn't happen to the young girl. Things only got worse for India.

At school, she was constantly bullied. Her schoolmates didn't like her and would gossip behind her back and insult her to her face. She went through a lot and was never truly happy everywhere she went. The school she went to was a Christian one and India has admitted that she was very confused why other people would bully her since she was just a dedicated Christian as others. She didn't feel there's anything that set her apart, but even people that didn't know her would join in to bully her just because it's a huge thing.

India struggled massively with self-esteem issues and did not think she was worth anything. Her family didn't support her well too through her tough times. She has told the media how her mum would get mad at her for expressing her frustration through tattooing her body. Her mum believed it to be sinful and did not condone her behavior. The lack of support from anyone made her early life even harder. She didn't love her school years. She was a typical role model for those who got bullied at school and ended up shining like a bright star at the end.

India first got the taste of fame when she opened up her Tumblr account in 2011. Then, she got quite some following and she first understood the importance of putting herself out there. But her real fame came along with her staring in the reality show the Westbrooks. A show that mimics Keeping Up WIth The Kardashian and about the five Westbrooks sisters, India, and her four younger sisters, about their life in California.

India has confessed that she initially did not want to be in the Westbrooks. She suffered too much of a self-esteem hit that she did not feel comfortable appearing in front of a TV. However, she eventually decided to do it because of her sisters. They wanted to do it and India didn't want to disappoint her sisters. So she did it.

She was not expecting the instant fame that she got. It was all a bit too overwhelming at first. That show pushed her to the top and she gained a massive following since. Sadly, the show didn't live well as a competition to the Kardashians and was canceled shortly after. Nonetheless, the show brought fame to the whole family and India became a celebrity she never thought she would be due to the tough times at school.

India is part of African-American, Spanish, Creole, and Indian. Her mixed backgrounds have gained her more fame as fans think she looks exotic and adores her looks for it. As for nationality, India was born and raised in California and never lived anywhere out of the US.

Some vicious attacks against India also came from her ethnicity and nationality with people challenging where her origins are. Such comments are worthless and only challenge the diversity in the country. India was born and raised here, nonetheless, she has faced many criticisms from haters as she "doesn't look like it'.

Source: highsnobiety.com

When it comes to India Love, there are many controversial incidents. She is a hot topic on her own with her characters. She is always in the spotlight for her behaviors that don't match public expectations. Her issue with Soulja Boy, a rapper, is a good representation of why the public often finds her actions controversial.

What happened was that Soulja Boy began posting pictures of her and India in 2016 with lots of suggestive texts and emojis, seemingly trying to convince fans that they were dating. He posted photos with India on different occasions and included texts like "I love you" with hearts. It was almost impossible for fans not to think they were dating.

But then, another rapper, Lil Yachty, beefed with Soulja Boy, claiming that Soulja Boy was going after his woman and that India was his 'shorty". Fans blew up when Soulja Boy revealed screenshots from his conversation with Lil Yachty. Fans began to choose sides and argued who was in the wrong.

Shortly after, India came forward and claimed there was nothing between her and Soulja Boy. However, Soulja Boy was not going to take India's statement for it. He began posting on social media that he was indeed not dating India, but only "f**king". He even went as far as saying he had sex with her four times in a row and came inside her and had the sex tape to prove it. Needless to say, many people were just after the juice and were grabbing popcorn, awaiting the grand reveal of India's sex tape.

Eventually, no sex tape was ever leaked. But it's enough to know that things didn't go well among the three of them. And it became one of the big reasons why India was heavily criticized for her personal life choices. Since she was a celebrity, the public expected her to be responsible and set up a role model. Yet, this became a big scandal for her. However, her fans defended her saying that she was the victim in this and should not be blamed. If anyone should be blamed for the drama, it should be the two men seemingly too obsessed with the TV personality.

Many stigmas and misunderstandings surrounding India are her life choices. People question her decisions and think she is a bad influence. In turn, India feels the need to go the extra mile to prove herself. It's all a very unhealthy vicious circle that no one should go through.

People think India has many tattoos on her skin because she wants to be punk and trendy and think it puts her as one of the cool kids. Little did anyone know that India put all those tattoos on herself as her only solitude from the bullying at school. When she was bullied at school, she had no proper way of letting go of her frustration and confusion. She never understood why people had to do that to her. She began tattooing her body as it was the only comfort she could find. However, her mum became very upset at her for this and thought she was being bad. She felt truly alone and no one could understand her. After a while, India has admitted to the media that she has found other ways to express her unreleased anger. Despite what people think about India, no one should ever be perceived as a bad person simply because they wanted to tattoo their body. As India did so to express herself, tattoos are a form of art.

Another thing people misunderstand about India is that she is always dating someone new. There was never short of a rumor of her new dating life. India has said, most of those rumors were false. Just because she took a friendly picture with a guy, doesn't mean they are dating or having sex, or planning to get married. Some people were just her friends. But it has got to a point where India chose not to clarify any rumors and just keep the public wondering as people are always going to what they do best. She doesn't bother to debunk false rumors as people will always find a reason "why she is lying". She just wants to live her happy life.

Source: GoodAmerican.com

India is still a famous model and an Instagram influencer. With over 4.4 million followers on Instagram, India is taking her fame for sponsors and more fame. While the online sensation may be subjected to many controversies, she has used her years to prove that someone can come from being viciously bullied in high school to a well-known celebrity.

India's life is full of drama, both in the past and now. These days, she tries to focus on her work rather than her personal life. She wants to be recognized for the work she does and not the people she sees. She feels that she is talented and should be recognized as that. Fans wait to see what more this supermodel can achieve in the future and if she can gain more love and change the minds of those who misunderstood her.