Vidya Balan Says She Started Hating Her Body When Her Weight Became ‘A National Issue’
We all have a love-hate relationship with our body. Some days you look in the mirror and feel like an absolute diva, Poo from K3G, if you will, and then there are days you hate everything you are looking at. Happens, no? The fact that your tummy is bloated right before a special date irks you to no extent and the jiggly arms make you pout. We have our bad days when we don’t feel great (hello, PMS days) and that’s okay. However, it would certainly feel ten times worse if someone discussed and dissected every pound you gained or lost and made you hate your body, just because they think you should look a certain way, all the time. That’s what happens to celebrities every day. They are repeatedly body-shamed by the trolls, media and their fans and followers.They have gone through it all, been bullied and weight-shamed but emerged stronger, advocating self-love and body positivity to all women. Case in point, Vidya Balan.
Vidya Balan is one of the few celebrities who have spoken about their weight issues. She has previously talked about how she has been constantly targeted by the trolls and the media for being curvier than the stereotypical body type deemed fit for a leading lady in Bollywood. There was a time when she hated her body and this was when her weight became a topic of discussion for the nation. In a recent interview, she shared, “It was important for me to have gone through what I did. It was very public and at that time it was so insurmountable. I come from a non-film family. There was no one to tell me that these phases don’t last. My weight issue had become a national issue.”
Also Read: #Voices: Vidya Balan Said When She Was Replaced In Many South Indian Films, She Thought Her Career Was Over. But She Never Gave Up
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She is now comfortable in her skin and an inspiration when it comes to body positivity. Not only she has learned to accept herself but is grateful for her body. But it wasn’t always like that. She has shared that she has been on the heavier side of the scale since she was a kid and it took her some time to love her body. “I have always been a fat girl; I wouldn’t say that I am at a stage where my fluctuating weight doesn’t bother me anymore at all. But I have come a long way. I have had hormonal issues all my life. For the longest time, I hated my body. I thought it had betrayed me. On the days I was under the pressure of looking my best, I would bloat up and I would be so angry and frustrated.”
She shared that she is in fact grateful for her body and has overcome the issues. “Over time, I accepted that my body is the only thing that is keeping me alive because the day my body stops functioning, I am not going to be around. I have a lot of gratitude for my body. It doesn’t matter what I have been through, I am alive because of this body. It’s blood and bones. With each day I have begun to love and accept myself more, but it’s not been easy,” she said.
We absolutely love these celebrity experiences and their journey on how they went from hating their body to embracing and celebrating it because these women are role models for body positivity. Despite the judgement, continuous scrutiny and trolls, they learn to love and accept themselves and inspire us for the same. A lot of women struggle to love their bodies and it’s not easy. It sure takes time, but if they can do it, it is surely doable. As Vidya said, “You have to fake it till you make it.” And, you will make it.
