Richa Chadha, Motherhood, and the Pitfalls of Performative Sensitivity

Recently, actress Richa Chadha shared a heartfelt Instagram post celebrating her daughter Zuneyra’s first birthday—a deeply personal reflection on motherhood, birth, and transformation. She recounted giving birth at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital, describing it as a “natural birth,” and expressed gratitude for her child and partner Ali Fazal. The post was warm, reflective, and grounded in her lived experience.

But the internet, as usual, found a way to derail the moment.

Among the many congratulatory messages were a few critical comments targeting Richa’s use of the term “natural birth.” One netizen argued that calling a vaginal birth “natural” was invalidating to women who underwent medically assisted or C-section deliveries.

Another said, “Please, the word normal meant everything to every mother,” suggesting that the term was “traumatizing.” Richa, unfazed, responded bluntly: “But what if I don't wanna say vaginally delivery, it is my page and also my vagina and my baby. And feminism taught me to use words of my choosing. So.”

The exchange sparked conversations about language, motherhood, and the fine line between inclusivity and overcorrection. Some called the comments classic examples of ragebait—posts designed to provoke outrage. But upon closer inspection, there's a more unsettling truth: this may not be calculated baiting at all. It might just be the result of people who are genuinely misinformed, swept up in the performative wave of “woke” discourse without nuance or critical thought.

And that’s arguably worse.

There’s a growing subset of internet users who, in their attempt to be progressive, have become overly rigid, hyper-literal, and emotionally reactive. They treat language like a landmine and leap at any opportunity to “correct” others—even when the context doesn’t warrant it. In doing so, they strip people—especially women—of the right to speak about their own experiences using their own words. Richa didn’t use “natural birth” to imply superiority; she was describing her reality. That should’ve been enough.

As one observer put it, this isn’t ragebait—it’s the byproduct of people who’ve been “brainwashed by woke or ‘open-minded’ thinking” without actually developing the emotional intelligence or intellectual discipline to wield it responsibly. They confuse reaction for activism, and in doing so, often end up policing the very voices they claim to support.

Richa’s response was necessary. It set a boundary and reminded us that feminism isn’t about appeasing everyone—it’s about agency. And that includes the right to say “my vagina” on your own page without being lectured for it.

Sometimes, the most radical thing you can do is say what you mean, unapologetically.