Actor and former reality TV show contestant Rochelle Rao is the latest celeb to have come out against trolls on social media. Her social media campaign against body shaming and discrimination on the basis of looks is receiving appreciation from all quarters. She tells us why she felt the need to start such a campaign in the first place. “What started this was the fact that a lot of people lately had been making negative comments about my weight. I am not the kind of person who is affected by what anyone says because it’s a fact that not everyone will appreciate you. But, when it came to body shaming, I felt that as a person who’s prominent in the media, I had a responsibility to do something for all the girls out there, who, unlike me, do not have the capacity or confidence to speak up against it.”
“The best way to have done this was starting off by narrating my own real-life stories first,” says the 28-year old, who is happy with the response she has received so far. “A lot of young girls have been messaging me on social media, saying how they feel about their weight and colour. It feels good that they can now talk about it,” adds Rochelle, who is also glad that the representation of women, too, is changing in the TV and film industry. “Of late, many of the new characters we are seeing — for example Dangal (2016), are promoting different types of women. I am not somebody who will say the industry is bad, but there are parts of it trying to break out of the mould. A lot more can be done.”
She stresses on the importance of social media in spreading awareness. “What could be a medium where we could have promoted real things, still tends to promote fantasy. This is a call out to other celebs — I do agree that we need to look a certain way (as public figures), but at least let people know what you really are on social media! In real life, we, too, are normal human beings,” says Rochelle.
{{/usCountry}}She stresses on the importance of social media in spreading awareness. “What could be a medium where we could have promoted real things, still tends to promote fantasy. This is a call out to other celebs — I do agree that we need to look a certain way (as public figures), but at least let people know what you really are on social media! In real life, we, too, are normal human beings,” says Rochelle.
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