Bollywood Divas And Their Unapologetic Opinions On Body Image

Have you ever seen smooth and streamlined bodies on a glossy magazine cover? Have you ever compared yourself with it? Do such images make you feel insecure about your body? Most often women fall prey to such air-brushed photographs of models and judge their natural skin tone and figure through the perfect lens of Photoshop.

Why Is It Necessary To Talk About Body Image?

The way we see ourselves and our bodies directly affects our confidence. Body image puts us through unnecessary trauma. We forget that all of us are different, and so is the case with our bodies. Many try too hard to fit the image of an ideal figure and forget that we are beautiful the way we are.

Bollywood Divas Speaking Unapologetically About Body Image

Ileana D’Cruz

Image Courtesy: Ileana D'Cruz/Instagram

Ileana D’Cruz has always been vocal about body image issues. Sharing her struggles, she said, "I went through body-shaming right from the time I was 12. I had just hit puberty, and growing up you are hit with these weird comments.”

People commented on her body and asked, “Oh My God, why is your butt so big?” Sharing her thoughts on body image issues, Ileana said, "What you feel about yourself is most important. And it's something I tell myself every single day."

Parineeti Chopra

When Parineeti Chopra started her career in Bollywood, her body was far from the ideal type. In a report of the Hindustan Times, the actress was quoted saying, “I have always been honest in saying that I am not happy the way I look. I was confident, but I was not happy with the way I looked. I always looked at my pictures, and even in films, there would be scenes where I thought I wish I looked better.”

Sharing an image on Instagram after losing weight, the actress said, I am glad that I got this time to work on myself. It’s taken me 9-10 months to reach here.” Adding she said, I just wanted to inspire people and show them that it is possible for an obese person to lose all this weight and have a toned body.”

Deepika Padukone

Image Courtesy: Deepika Padukone/Instagram

Deepika Padukon has spoken on issues like pay-parity, sexism and many other things that are wrong with the Hindi-film industry. In an open letter, the actress shared her thoughts on the objectification of a woman’s body and said, "I have no issue celebrating my body, and I have never shied away from anything on-screen to portray a character.”

She added, My issue is you propagating the objectification of a REAL person and not a character being played. Sure, dissect my characters if you wish—if it is of so much interest, then discuss the character’s cup size and leg length if it is relevant to making the role convincing. All I am asking for is respect as a woman off-screen."

Vidya Balan

In an interview with The Times of India, Vidya Balan said, “weight had become a national issue.” As we are aware, the ideal body type is slim or an X-shaped figure. While sharing her thoughts with her fans, the actress said, 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."

She added, "For the longest time, I hated my body. 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.

Priyanka Chopra

Image Courtesy: Priyanka Chopra/Instagram

When Priyanka Chopra appeared on The View, she revealed an interaction with a producer. She earned the crown of Miss World, and the producer told her everything wrong with her body. She said, “He said my nose was not proportionate, the shape of my body was not proportionate.”

Sharing her thoughts on the subject, the actress said, “There is such a false perception about what women should look like and what our bodies should look like. Especially when you are in the business, you put on a couple of pounds and people are like body shaming you.”

Alia Bhatt

When Alia Bhatt joined the Indian Film industry, she was not a ‘skinny girl’. In an interview with Elle, the Gangubai Kathiawadi actress said, “To feel healthy from the inside takes effort. For that, following a basic workout regime is necessary, even if it’s just a daily walk.”

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Sonakshi Sinha

Image Courtesy: Sonakshi Sinha/Instagram

In an interview with Cosmo, Sonakshi Sinha said, "You know, I was always an overweight child. I used to be 95 kilos in school. People bullied me, and the boys called me names.”

Adding, she said, “When you’re that young, you don’t understand why you are not being able to lose weight. You don’t know why you are made this way. And then you start blaming yourself for a lot of things. And that can really affect you. What matters is how quickly you can ignore it and bounce back."

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Sonam K Ahuja

While giving an interview to Buzzfeed, Sonam K Ahuja said, "Of course, scrutiny of female bodies isn't new, or even restricted to celebrities. I mean, raise your hand if you've ever been called 'healthy' by a relative, or been given unsolicited advice by a friend about how to lose weight."

Sharing her struggles, the actress said, “Why does my belly crease? Why do my arms jiggle? Why am I not fair? Why are there dark patches under my eyes? Why am I taller than boys my age? Do stretch marks ever go away? Will this cellulite stay forever? The ball is in the media's court to celebrate fit bodies rather than thin ones, and to know the difference.”

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