Vidya Balan: ‘I thought if my body changed, then I would be acceptable to everyone. I would be worthy of love’

Actor Vidya Balan spoke about fat shaming in an exclusive interview to Hindustan Times. She revealed that even when she managed to lose a lot of weight, she wasn’t fully acceptable to everyone.

If there’s a woman in the business who has inspired people to be comfortable in their own skin, it’s actor Vidya Balan. She has always been vocal about body issues, slammed body-shamers and emerged as an idol, especially to people who have been at the receiving end of such shaming.

Patna: Actress Vidya Balan addresses during a programme in Patna, on March 15, 2019. (IANS)

The path to reaching this zen stage in her life wasn’t easy, and Vidya apart from facing a barrage of criticism, also went through a phase of self doubt. She says, “(There was) a part of my life, I was in a battle with my body. I was angry with it, hated it, and I wanted it to change, because I thought if my body changed, then I would be acceptable to everyone. I would be worthy of love. But even at my thinnest, when I managed to lose a lot of weight (it happened a few times) I realised that I wasn’t fully acceptable to everyone. So really there’s no point in trying to change yourself to suit others’ needs and ideals.”

What Vidya doesn’t understand is the need to talk about ‘weight’ and ‘diets’ in the first place. “What amazes me is that people talk about the body so much. You enter a place and people are only having these conversations ‘Oh! You have lost weight…’ ‘you have put on weight’ ‘what diet are you on, what exercise regiment?’… it’s so annoying really, it’s so limiting. I honestly feel that I definitely don’t enjoy these conversations, and I feel people talk about the body so easily, judge another’s body, make comments, because it’s visible, it’s out there,” she says.

“Why do we not turn around and tell these people, who fat shame us, that you should actually be ashamed because you have got such a small mind? Nothing you do can ever change that, exercise, diet, the right kind of sleep, maybe medication!... whatever can even change our body, but nothing can change your mind! (laughs) God bless you!” she signs off.

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