I was out having drinks with friends when one of my guy friends commented on how chubby my face looked...and that I resembled PSY!!!! 2 days later another guy friend pointed out that I had gained "ATLEAST 2 KILOS"! OK then!!
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Yes I have gained weight...like 3 kgs and am at a happy 54 kgs...I am happy with the way I look and NO I am not gonna start starving myself to look like a skinny version of myself; I love my curves too much for that and YES I am keeping them.
I agree I look a little chubbier than usual (I always have puppy fat on my face that my mom refers to as natural botox for when you hit 40) but what totally surprises me that it hasn't been the women around me who seem to have noticed it BUT my GUY FRIENDS. So, what is this new obsession men seem to have with women and their weight gain? While this may seem like an isolated incident, it isn't. I have noticed over the past couple of years how Indian men seem react to women who may be a little on the 'heavier' (read those who aren't flat chested or emaciated by appearance) side, in a condescending manner. What is more disconcerting is when they have an opinion ready and waiting on how you could make your body look better by either dieting or starting a better fitness regime!
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I get it. It is important to maintain your weight. But the reason you do it shouldn't be to give into societal (or male) pressure to look a certain way but to ensure that you are healthy. I work out but I have started running because I want to run the marathon next year and because I want to avoid getting arthritis as long as I can (as it runs in my family); I am not working out to lose my curves. I don't wanna look like a stack of bones. I looked like that while growing up when I was struggling to gain weight and looked so skinny that my friends called me chicken bones. I want to look the way I want to look, not how some men think I should look.
Pradeep Guha told me something very insightful long back when I met him in 1999, he said, "the best way to know if you need to work out is to stand in front of the mirror and see if your thighs meet. If they do...hit the gym! But don't go beserk with fad diets or skipping meals." It's about maintaining the right weight, it's about working out so you feel good (endorphin's a happy hormones!), it's about doing what is good for you. It is NOT about what people especially men think, it isn't about getting into a dress which you know would require you to crash your weight, it isn't about starving yourself. I would NOT starve myself for anyone or anything. I would rather eat everything but eat it in moderation.
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I don't want myself to turn into Jennifer Hudson, Victoria Beckham or Nicole Richie who seem to have totally lost the plot. I also am not trying to pull a Kareena Kapoor, who during the making of Tashan survived only on Orange Juice!! I admire Aishwarya Rai and Vidya Balan, neither hasn't let detractors stop her from being herself. It was very sad when both of them were panned for gaining weight or not looking like the skinny peers they have in the industry. They weren't admired for being themselves or for their acting prowess but for not following some stupid anorexia trend that started off thanks to Kareena Kapoor and her Size 0 act. Well! Look what happened; Vidya went on to star in some of the best movies of the year and Aishwarya still commands a huge fan following and earns the highest for endorsements. I admire Salma Hayek, Beyonce, Penelope Cruz, Christina Aguilera for embracing their curves and being proud of their bodies.
I am trying to be healthy and I hope all you women out there are working out to be healthy...and not to be someone that others around you would want you to be. So here is what I have to say to men who like to comment on women and their bodies..."Get a mirror...and if you think anyone needs to work out...maybe it is you. And even if you are a Ryan Gosling, why don't you spend your precious time doing something constructive rather than trying to keep track women and their weight gain. Last time we checked...you weren't the boss of us!"
.jpg)
Yes I have gained weight...like 3 kgs and am at a happy 54 kgs...I am happy with the way I look and NO I am not gonna start starving myself to look like a skinny version of myself; I love my curves too much for that and YES I am keeping them. I agree I look a little chubbier than usual (I always have puppy fat on my face that my mom refers to as natural botox for when you hit 40) but what totally surprises me that it hasn't been the women around me who seem to have noticed it BUT my GUY FRIENDS. So, what is this new obsession men seem to have with women and their weight gain? While this may seem like an isolated incident, it isn't. I have noticed over the past couple of years how Indian men seem react to women who may be a little on the 'heavier' (read those who aren't flat chested or emaciated by appearance) side, in a condescending manner. What is more disconcerting is when they have an opinion ready and waiting on how you could make your body look better by either dieting or starting a better fitness regime!
I get it. It is important to maintain your weight. But the reason you do it shouldn't be to give into societal (or male) pressure to look a certain way but to ensure that you are healthy. I work out but I have started running because I want to run the marathon next year and because I want to avoid getting arthritis as long as I can (as it runs in my family); I am not working out to lose my curves. I don't wanna look like a stack of bones. I looked like that while growing up when I was struggling to gain weight and looked so skinny that my friends called me chicken bones. I want to look the way I want to look, not how some men think I should look.Pradeep Guha told me something very insightful long back when I met him in 1999, he said, "the best way to know if you need to work out is to stand in front of the mirror and see if your thighs meet. If they do...hit the gym! But don't go beserk with fad diets or skipping meals." It's about maintaining the right weight, it's about working out so you feel good (endorphin's a happy hormones!), it's about doing what is good for you. It is NOT about what people especially men think, it isn't about getting into a dress which you know would require you to crash your weight, it isn't about starving yourself. I would NOT starve myself for anyone or anything. I would rather eat everything but eat it in moderation.
.jpg)
I don't want myself to turn into Jennifer Hudson, Victoria Beckham or Nicole Richie who seem to have totally lost the plot. I also am not trying to pull a Kareena Kapoor, who during the making of Tashan survived only on Orange Juice!! I admire Aishwarya Rai and Vidya Balan, neither hasn't let detractors stop her from being herself. It was very sad when both of them were panned for gaining weight or not looking like the skinny peers they have in the industry. They weren't admired for being themselves or for their acting prowess but for not following some stupid anorexia trend that started off thanks to Kareena Kapoor and her Size 0 act. Well! Look what happened; Vidya went on to star in some of the best movies of the year and Aishwarya still commands a huge fan following and earns the highest for endorsements. I admire Salma Hayek, Beyonce, Penelope Cruz, Christina Aguilera for embracing their curves and being proud of their bodies.I am trying to be healthy and I hope all you women out there are working out to be healthy...and not to be someone that others around you would want you to be. So here is what I have to say to men who like to comment on women and their bodies..."Get a mirror...and if you think anyone needs to work out...maybe it is you. And even if you are a Ryan Gosling, why don't you spend your precious time doing something constructive rather than trying to keep track women and their weight gain. Last time we checked...you weren't the boss of us!"
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