For years I have seen my curvy friend, Priya’s (name changed) mom torturing her into losing weight. The pressure got all the more pronounced when her mom thought it was high time that Priya should get married. She was enrolled in a two-hour-long gym class and was put on random diets until she collapsed.
The thing is that this vicious cycle never ends. We always want to box women in specifics with expectations. We want them tall but not too tall, thin but a little curvy, fair but not too pale. You know the drill. And while everyone might have their share in bringing women down, more often than not, it is the family and the people we know who play the most problematic role in this narrative. #PlixxoInfluencer Himanshi Goel agrees. Getting all candid in a recent interaction with us for #PlixxoUpCloseAndPersonal, she talked about her empowering journey towards self-love and acceptance, no matter what size or shape.
She shared how all of these prejudices around certain body types start at your own home. “Growing up I always faced some really mean and nasty comments, judgemental looks and lots of unsolicited advice about my thick thighs. You can block out the noise of unknown people, but you can’t do it when these comments come from your family and friends. In fact, you start treating it as your reality when the same thing is told over and over again,” she shared.
Initially, she did not think much about these comments and brushed them off thinking that they were just concerned. However, things got really ugly when Himanshi decided to get into blogging. “I remember getting mean and nasty comments the moment I posted a picture with my legs being visible. I mean, I could never imagine people online getting so triggered with me wearing shorts on a sunny day. It was all the sadder when I saw girls commenting and telling me that I have no fashion sense and I cannot wear shorts cause I have big thighs,” she shares.
Soon enough fellow bloggers, old friends, few stylists, and her own family members started chiming in, making light comments about her weight and how it is such a surprise that she got into blogging. Of course, none of them really realised how deep-rooted the problem was. “I never even realised when all this got to me and I found myself facetuning/ photoshopping almost every picture. I started getting clicked from a particular angle where my thighs didn’t look as big,” adds Himanshi.
Before she knew it, she was editing away every single blemish from her pics. The snide comments and criticism got her to the extent that she stopped eating food. All of this continued until she was diagnosed with thyroid last year. It was a sigh for her–she realised how terribly she had been treating herself and her body. She immediately took to Instagram and shared an absolutely unedited picture. It was the beginning of something brave and beautiful. Eventually, she started opening about body image issues, stopped focussing on looking a certain way or losing weight, and started treating her body right.
Slowly but gradually she saw results. “I might not have lost any weight but I am the healthiest and happiest with my body right now. I no longer edit my body size for Instagram to hide reality. I no longer listen to anyone commenting on my body, it straight away goes to trash. And most importantly I no longer laugh it off when someone tells me to lose weight, I tell them straight up to mind their own business and that’s exactly what I preach on my page,” she concludes.
And guess what is Himanshi’s favourite OOTD now? Her own skin!!
Featured Image: Instagram
