Alia Bhatt To Deepika Padukone: How Actresses React To Body Shaming (Image-Instagram/aliaabhatt)
The recent response by actress Alia Bhatt over unverified claims stating that she had undergone a botched Botox procedure and more, has brought attention to women being targets of body shaming and online harassment.
Alia pointed out the “microscopic judgments” which are being passed over women’s bodies, especially over actresses working in the film industry, is normalised in recent times. The intense scrutiny crosses boundaries of privacy thanks to social media trying to decode each and every activity involving public figures. Alia is not the only target of brutal online harassments and body shaming.
With unrealistic beauty and body standards everywhere, the number of women targeted is also increasing.
Social media has even made it tough for mothers to enjoy their pregnancy and embrace the moments of childbirth. Bollywood diva Deepika Padukone is one such example. The actress was brutally harassed online at the time of her pregnancy with many scrutinizing her body. Social media claimed that the actress was faking her pregnancy. Others criticised the way she walked wearing heels during her pregnancy. Slamming the abusive social media posts and expressing support towards the actress, journalist Faye D’Souza said, “Stop it, behave.”
Recently, actress Richa Chadha who welcomed a baby girl this July, also underwent body shamming due to the unrealistic social expectations thrown over women.
Reacting to the unrealistic expectations that people have from actresses about going back to perfect shape shortly after giving birth, Richa said, “I feel like I am doing so much more work than focussing on all this. Creating a new life is not easy. It is a very Kardashian model of the world where there’s a famous, glitzy, and rich family which is totally cued into capitalism. Like plastic waste is not a thing that’s on the discussion there. Babies are happening and big balloon parties are happening and then there’s like ‘revenge bod’. I feel like it is a derivative so I don’t bother with it.”
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Actress Swara Bhasker was also body shamed by a news outlet after her pregnancy journey. The news outlet claimed right after her pregnancy journey that the actress was not getting work because she had gained weight. Replying to the heartless statement, the actress wrote, “For those who cannot read the Devanagari script, this is a leading Hindi newspaper handle that thinks it is newsworthy that a recent mom, who birthed a child a few months ago, put on weight! Can someone please explain the physiology of childbirth to the geniuses…”
Countless other celebrities have been targets of internet scrutiny over their bodies. The toxic culture propagates unrealistic beauty standards for women and continues the severe chain of harassment where a woman’s body is constantly objectified.
