When actress Sonakshi Sinha says she's become 'indifferent' to questions about her weight, it's a sad commentary on how insidious the objectification and sexualization of women in showbiz is. While both male and female celebrities work on their fitness equally, the standards of beauty imposed on actresses are demanding at best, unrealistic at worst. The scrutiny they are subjected to is both intense and constant and with social media, the criticism is free-flowing. Actresses like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have been slammed for not shedding post-pregnancy weight quick enough to appear at events like the Cannes Film Festival looking slim and trim - luckily, if you are Aishwarya, the fat-shaming doesn't bother you.
If you are Sonakshi Sinha, you become resigned to being asked about the way you look. Sonakshi has yo-yoed between sizes and while we'd never call her fat, she's been bigger than she is now. Gym videos posted on social media prove how hard the actress has worked on being the best, or the fittest at least, version of herself and Sonakshi's weight loss journey is certainly inspiring.
The actress, who recently walked the ramp at the launch of Streax Professional's Spring Summer 2018 Collection 'Marigold' in an orange floor-sweeping gown, spoke out about being subjected to body shaming and sent out a strong message looking deeper than appearances. "We should tell the audience to rise above looks and delve deeper into an artist's work. Honestly that is something I have advocated since the starting of my career," Sonakshi said, reports news agency IANS.
"I have been body shamed quite a bit but I have learnt to move ahead of that because that is what I have always believed in. Being true to yourself is important. It's really not about how you look but what work you do and how many people you reach out to," she added, reports IANS.
Sonakshi has, of course, undergone an amazing transformation in her attempt to get fit and stay healthy. She doesn't believe in size zero but through her Instagram posts is seen sweating it out in the gym to get stronger and better than before.
While the media waited for a conversation with the actress at the event, who had flown in from Kuala Lumpur, there was chatter about Sonakshi's weight loss and "sculpted body". On asking her if such comments on weight annoy her, she answered, "I have been answering questions on my weight loss for so long that I have become indifferent to them. There are certain things that seem odd at that moment, but I am kind of used to it."
"And it's okay, it's part of my profession. These are very basic things that people are interested in, which is why they ask. They are, I guess, the most obvious questions in people's minds," added the actress, who will next be seen in Happy Phirr Bhaag Jaayegi, Kalank and Dabangg 3.
Well, like they say, haters will be haters. There's a lesson here that we all need to learn from Sonakshi, and that is to move on and remember that we are much more than how we look.
Inputs from IANS
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