“Before accepting compliments from others, I needed to learn to appreciate myself. I knew this, but I couldn’t get myself to do it.
I’ve always been insecure of my body. As much as I love fashion and study the subject, I have always been conscious of my body type and how I dress. Despite the urge to dress up and experiment, I always stuck to clothes that suited my ‘body type’.
I didn’t have a peaceful meal in years! I used to keep thinking I’m going to put on weight and that would affect my self-confidence. Naturally, that deteriorated my mental health. I was conscious about everything: from the way I looked to the way I moved. Maybe because how outwardly appearances become judgement standards in our society. I even tried to ‘compensate’ for my weight by being lively and jovial.
I was always interested in doing something creative on the internet, but the fear of shamers and bullies stopped me. Hence I took the backseat. In fact, when a friend (Sunil) got in touch with me to work on The Telugu Pilla, I agreed to contribute to the creatives. I never thought I would be the face. We even started looking for a girl to represent the Telugu-girl point-of-view, but we couldn’t find one. That’s when Sunil suggested I do it.
But I wasn’t sure if I could do it. “What will family and relatives say? What will my friends say? ” I kept wondering. I was leisurely sitting one day, when I thought, maybe I should do it! Maybe this is my shot! I thought, why should I care about what others think? That’s not a reason to back off, right? So, I took up the project and there has been no looking back.
The acceptance and love I’ve received from people has made me realise that my fears were superfluous. This project has made me confident. I’ve started to believe in myself, value what I am and love myself. Friends and family have been showering me with love and positivity. My father came home the other day and told me how his friends are calling him The Telugu Pilla’s dad. Now that’s something! I’m just excited to see what happens next, but I’m sure I have long way to go and grow, personally and professionally!”

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