“My parents have always been supportive and pretty chill! A couple of years ago, to my shock, they said I should lose weight to get married. I couldn’t take it. But that’s the kind of influence society and people around you have. I’ve always been told that I should lose weight and make my skin lighter to be more beautiful. Even when I was in school, other kids would call me names like fatty or laddu. They would say it was out of love, but if they loved me, why would they make fun of me? I’ve heard to unnecessary name-calling and comments from people all my life. Why is it wrong to be fat or dark? Why should anybody else care? Once I joined college, I started questioning people who shared their unsolicited advice with me. ‘Are you feeding me? Do you pay for my clothes? Then why do you care?’ I didn’t hold myself back. Why should I when all I’ve received is criticism for being who I truly am? As much as I try to be strong, such comments break your heart and morale. I would be lying if I told you I didn’t try weird techniques on my skin or body. I’ve joined gyms and visited clinics where they taunted me for my body instead of helping me feel confident.

But that evening, when I heard my parents tell me that I should be thinner so they can find me a groom, I broke down. I told them all that I’ve faced everyday of my life because people thought I wasn’t good enough. All that anybody could see was my weight or colour. People don’t gain weight only because they eat. Everybody is going through something – but do we care to listen to them? I had PCOD – it led to imbalance in my hormones and also affected my mental health. Nobody knew that but they were ready to judge me.

When I opened up to my family, they apologised and consoled me. I later joined a gym because I wanted to be fitter and stronger. The trainer was a gem. He would listen to me, make me feel confident and not force me on days I didn’t want to exercise too much. All it takes to do is be sensitive towards other people’s feelings and experiences. Why can’t we just be more considerate of each other’s emotions? I’m happy the way I am and you should be too. At the end of the day, we’re all different and that’s what makes us beautiful.”

#BodyShaming #BreakingtheBarriers #Stereotypes #Fatshaming #Emotions #Selflove #Responsibility #PCOD #Awareness #Bullyingawareness #Sisterslove #Empower #Bodypositive #Society #Strength #Hyderabad #HumansofHyderabad