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Sameera Reddy had been trolled for her weight after her 1st pregnancy weight, and speaks up now in her second, glowing in her late pregnancy.
Celebrity mom Sameera Reddy had been trolled for putting on a lot of weight after her first pregnancy, at a time when she was feeling low. While she admits that she had body image issues at that time, she is confident and happy during her second, and the trolls can take a hike!
A friend of mine recently gave birth. A couple of months after the delivery, she looks as trim as she did before pregnancy. At a party recently, I overheard some Indian women talking about her. “Who would even believe that she was pregnant?” they said as they considered their own belly fat and love handles. I felt sad that they felt the need to make that comparison, but I was not surprised. Aren’t such conversations all too common in India, where a woman’s body is constantly looked at, judged and talked about?
No wonder that women feel ashamed of and unhappy about their bodies –bodies that have survived bringing brand new, beautiful human beings onto this planet; bodies that they should be proud of.
Which is why the positivity that emanates from Sameera Reddy’s social media posts about her pregnancy are refreshing. She is glowing, and why not? The actress is pregnant with her second child, and she has been sharing the most gorgeous pictures of her baby bump, and she has been open and honest about her thoughts and feelings about the same.
Posting about the final lap of her pregnancy, she wrote, “Final lap of this pregnancy and I feel strong, excited, nervous and powerful. Mixed emotions in so much grace.” Earlier, she posted, “I embrace my curves, my cheeks, my water retention and my pregnant belly with a smile.” A couple of weeks ago, in response to trolls, she posted a beautiful picture of herself in beachwear with the caption, “Her soul was too deep to explore by those who always swam in the shallow end. This is my answer to anyone who feels uncomfortable with me enjoying my pregnant belly.”
Speaking about her first pregnancy, she said at one AMA with fans, “After the first child I was a victim of depression. I did not fight it. I took a lot of time to realize that I feel bad about my body and my image. I used to hide from the world and was worried about what people would think about me. I took therapy and homeopathy I will never let that happen again.”
Sharing a before and after picture of her pregnancy, she wrote, “I touched 102 Kgs in May 2015, the month Hans was born and I’m not scared to admit it. It took me to the deepest darkest places in my head. My confidence shattered. And I couldn’t lose the weight for a year after because I was too scared to even step out. I disappeared because I didn’t have the strength to be judged by the world after all the years of being glam and fit on screen. But the beautiful part is that you can only hit your lowest low to know you can absolutely climb out of that hole. It’s a fight. A hard one.”
These honest, heartfelt admissions are reflected in the stories of women everywhere. All women are not celebrities, but any woman who goes through pregnancy has to deal with a changing body that doesn’t always co-operate. Even after pregnancy, not all women have the sort of lives that allow them to work out, lose weight and get toned. To assume that they do, or must, reeks of entitlement and privilege.
Women can often feel unattractive because of the changes to their body and this has implications for their long-term mental health and for their bonding with their unborn baby.
“Women are under constant pressure about their appearance and during pregnancy and after birth is no exception. It is important therefore that pregnancy care is not just about the physical health of the mother and the health of the unborn child, but also about women’s emotional wellbeing, which can give us a lot of important information about how they might react to being a new mum in the longer-term,” says Dr Catherine Preston, an expert in body image from the University of York’s Department of Psychology.
The most visible examples of women being shamed for their pregnany or post-pregnancy bodies are celebrities like Aishwarya Rai and Neha Dhupia.
Kareena Kapoor first got criticized for her weight, then got shamed for going to the gym, and then for “looking like a skeleton,” proving that no matter what women do, there will always be those who take it negatively. This is why it is best to live ones best life, irrespective of what others say.
Sameera does have a message for those who comment about women’s pregnant bodies though. “I have one question for these trolls. Where do you guys come from? Your mothers, right? Was your mother very hot after you came out? I am just saying that it’s shameful because it is such a natural process and it’s so beautiful, it’s so amazing. And there are sexy ones like Kareena who just come out looking fully hot and then there are people like me who take time. It took me time with the first baby. Maybe it will take me time with the second baby. But what’s important is to accept yourself. And to all the trolls out there, say what you want guys. I think that I have a superpower. I am giving birth to a baby.”
More power to Sameera and others like her!
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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