For as long as I can remember, I had been in a raging battle with myself over the way my body looked. I have flogged and starved myself. I have been on strict diets, and I have broken down multiple times for not being able to achieve my ‘goal weight’. Fun fact: I never even had a ‘goal weight’! I only had one idea about the ‘perfect body’– which is what I saw on the cover of fashion magazines–and I wanted mine to look like that.
Like most people, my body image issues started quite early and were very deep-rooted. I was never a skinny kid. I loved to eat and hated physical education in school. I was plump but lived a healthy lifestyle. I used to play with my friends for an hour every day and that included a lot of running around. Once I started growing older, due to classes and tuitions, my physical workout reduced and I started putting on weight, especially during my board exams. It really didn’t bother me back then. However, time and again, my relatives would comment on my body and over time, without me even realising it, I started feeling bad about the way I looked. I wanted to do something about it. I was in Class 11 when I started working out religiously and lost around 15 kgs. It was the motivation to look better (plus the taunts from people around me) that got me going. I maintained that weight for quite some time.
Cut to 2019, I got married and my lifestyle changed drastically. Late-night outs, midnight snacking and binge drinking with not one but two sets of friends changed the way my body looked. I gained about 10 kgs and started hating my body again. One night, I threw up excessively after drinking on an empty stomach because I was starving myself to lose weight. I spent the next two days recovering from a chronic acid reflux and it hit me really hard.
It was then when I realised that self-acceptance is hard to cultivate, especially when you’re living in a delusional world. A world of perfect skin, body type, hair and personality. Self-acceptance comes when you extend the same empathy that you have for others towards yourself. It comes from realising that you’re a human being and nobody’s perfect. We all have a negative voice inside our head that becomes toxic if we don’t keep it in check. As I began to accept and love my body, I realised that I needed to shut down this toxic voice. I needed her to stop telling me these terrible things.
Reminding myself to love my body isn’t always easy–it is something that I consciously practice every day. Just like me, I am sure there are a lot of women who are struggling with their body. To those women, I have only one thing to say–love yourself because you have only yourself to count on. You can choose to either lift yourself up or tear yourself down, and one little act of courage can change the way you feel overnight.
I am sure my story is not the only such instance. Do you have a similar story to tell? The #MyBodyMyCare campaign by Bodycare Creations is encouraging you to share that story. It is about inspiring women to celebrate who they are by embracing the beauty and the strength within themselves. Own it, ladies, because no one’s opinion matters more than yours. Take cues from team POPxo as they take the #MyBodyMyCare challenge and here’s what they have to say!
Anukriti Khare, Senior Script Writer
Upalina Gupta, Fashion Video Producer & Senior Stylist
Himani Khatri, Beauty Producer
Have an inspiring story about how you finally fell in love with your body? Share it on your Instagram and tag @bodycarecreations using the hashtags, #MyBodyMycare and #YehHaiNayiDilli. Lucky winners will get Rs 1000 online vouchers and some will get a chance to virtually meet and greet with Delhi Capitals. So, what are you waiting for?
*This is a sponsored post for Bodycare Creations.
