The Channel 46
Bollywood actor and body positivity champion Sameera Reddy strongly promotes staying fit and healthy while loving our bodies. Recently, she took to Instagram on Monday to post a screenshot of a follower’s comment on one of her posts. The person had targeted the actor by asking her, “Just a question, if you were so confident of your body, why are you working out so much to lose weight?”.
I hid behind oversized clothes meant for women in their 20s and shopping was always a disaster. I distinctly remember being called my friend’s mom by a guy I had a crush on. Just because, at the time, I was ‘dressing for my body type’ as I was told to by the magazines and media I was growing up on.
Looking at myself in the mirror was just a quick check for food in the teeth or out of place kajal. Never could I look into my eyes in reflection and smile, nor offer myself a compliment or appreciate something about the physical form of the person looking back at me in the mirror.
The transformation came slowly at 25, when I finally saw the world for what it was. A huge and varied collection of people. The same social media we curse today was a boon for me. I met amazing people via the internet, some were YouTubers who taught me self-acceptance, some were models who taught me how to love my body and some were friends who pushed me towards getting help for my mental health.
It has taken me 5 more years of loving my body to address my mental health. Today, as I battle anxiety, I understand and know that my body is no longer the cause of any of it.
The Channel 46