Women are constantly judged no matter what. If they are thin, people raise so-called concerns about their health. If they don’t fit someone’s ideal weight or body type, the shaming never seems to stop. Lock Upp Season 2 star Akansha Choudhary spoke about this very issue on Hauterrfly’s The Male Feminist, hosted by Siddhaarth Aalambayan. She recalled being body-shamed during her modelling days and facing harsh judgements. Read on!
During the interview, Akansha Choudhary opened up about the harsh reality of the modelling and pageant world. She said, “Models endure a lot. My experience was bad. I have full cheeks, right? They used to say on my face that your face won’t work.”
Recalling a particularly difficult day, she shared, “There was a shoot. The photographer became my friend. I had shot with her before, but those were video shoots. They were fun. I had a print shoot with him. He spoke very badly to me that day, like, ‘You look so fat; you look so bad. Clients will beat up, why did u bring a healthy model? Why don’t you go to the gym? What do you eat? What did you eat today?’ It was very embarrassing, but I somehow completed the shoot.”
The judgement continued during her pageant training. “Further, during pageant training when I went, they used to say, ‘You look so fat; don’t do this. You look too fat from here; don’t do this. Pose; your stomach looks too much,’ they used to say. ” I was like, “What if it’s visible? There are so many cameras on the stage; it will be visible anyhow.”
Reflecting on her three years in pageants, Akansha added, “Generally when I invested 3 years in pageants, I used to think I would be the first girl who looks different and who doesn’t have a chiselled face. I know there are so many girls who struggle; those girls tell me we can do it too. It’s very difficult if you are heavy. Pageants stand on inclusivity, colours, and racism. Nothing is inclusive. Look at the winner of every year; it’s the same body type. I know the same face and jawline are visible. It’s not possible for me; my face is on my parents. They have a cute face.”