Vidya Balan On Being Fat Shamed: “When People Tell Me Why Don’t You Start Exercising, I Want To Say F**K You!”
Fat shaming is not cool! After Neha Dhupia, this is what Vidya Balan has to say to those shaming her for weight issues
Fat shaming is an issue that all of us have been hearing about quite often now. On Saturday, Neha Dhupia had slammed a fashion publication, that had pointed out her post-pregnancy fat and we saw many B-Town celebs coming up in support of the actress. Now, we have another actress who has something to say to those who ask her to exercise and lose weight.
Well, she’s The Dirty Picture actress, Vidya Balan. While speaking to Filmfare, the actress hit back at those fat shaming her. Vidya told the leading magazine, “I’ve had hormonal problems all my life. It’s probably because of the judgment I’ve carried around my body. When I was a teenager, people would tell me, ‘You’ve got such a pretty face, why don’t you lose some weight?’ It’s not a nice thing to say to anyone. Be it a child or a grown-up. So, I’d starve myself, I’d go through crazy exercise regimens and lose weight. Then the hormonal issue would settle for a bit before it reared its head again. I guess it was my body’s way of revolting because in wanting it to be what it was not, I was constantly rejecting it. There’s no machine as smart as your body. It’s the only machine that has emotional intelligence. So even at my thinnest, I’ve always felt fat. Weight loss, weight gain, weight loss, weight gain was my pattern for as long as I can remember. Years ago, I stopped watching my shots on the monitor at shoots because I’d look at the monitor and be thinking, ‘Am I looking fat?’”
She further added, “Now I don’t. But it’s taken a lot of work to get to accept my body. Ironically, it’s one’s own rejection of the body that also causes hormonal issues. I guess it’s a chicken and egg situation. Who knows what came first? Therefore, if I can convince even one person that it’s okay to be just the way you are – thin or fat – it would be worthwhile. That’s probably why I keep screaming from the rooftops in every interview, at every opportunity to tell people that please accept yourselves the way you are. But having said that, it’s not easy. When people tell me why don’t you start exercising, I want to say f**k you! How do you know I haven’t been exercising? Do you know how hard I exercise? Do you know what challenges I’ve been facing? Do you know that my hormonal problem has made it impossible for me to lose weight for years in between? Not just that, there was a period in between when the more I’d work out, the more I’d put on? People would insinuate that you must be eating unhealthy or that you’re lazy. And these things stick with you. It would anger me no end. I kept wanting people to stop judging me. But over time, I realised that people judge you/your body only if you do. If you seek validation from others, you’ll always fall short. So, the answer lies in loving and accepting yourself. That of course is easier said than done. It’s work in progress and a lifelong endeavour.”
Moreover, she said, “The process of getting to like yourself the way you are is a painful one. Therefore, today I’m balanced in my approach. No killing myself with exercise. No food deprivation. Only kindness and compassion towards myself. Before the release of Begum Jaan, I had been to Japan for a holiday. I came back feeling great. But during the promotions my body started changing. If you saw my pictures on any two days, I looked completely different. It was frustrating. One day I was one size, the next day I looked double my size. One day my hormones would be in fine balance and I’d feel good physically. I’d be okay to step out and put myself out there. But it was a challenge on the days I wasn’t feeling good.”
Image Source: Instagram/dabbooratnani
