Sameera, in an Instagram video, opened up about her struggles with weight and skin colour that intensified during her years in Bollywood. She recently revealed she tried to lighten her skin and used body padding to conform to the physical stereotypes attached to female actors
The actor felt compelled to make the video after she received a message from a new mother who felt “fat and ugly” after looking at Sameera’s Instagram story. “These are the words that I fight against. I try to be fearless and show exactly how it is. I don’t want people to follow me to compare. I grew up always being compared to my stick-thin sisters and then I went into the industry where I was compared to everybody,” Sameera Reddy said in her video.
The caption of the video read, “No tricks no make up just me! #imperfectlyperfect. I had a message from a mom who says she feels ‘fat’ ‘ugly’ and ‘not beautiful’ with her post-baby fat. She said she looked at me and felt dejected. OMG!!! So here are my morning swelly eyes. No tricks no make up just me owning it! And I’m hoping that this enforces a positive spin on our own expectations of ourselves. I feel coming back to the public view in a way that I feel no pressure for my own mental health has helped me stay focused on being a good mother and a person who is self-accepting that makes it a healthier space for all around me. Don’t dwell on what you are not and what you don’t have! Let’s focus on the good ? we are all #imperfectlyperfect #loveyourself #justthewayyouare #keepingitreal.”
The actor further said that all her efforts to look a certain way only ended up making her feel unhappy about herself. “Which is when I tried to lighten my skin, I used to do crazy things, like wear coloured lenses because I thought I needed that fair light-eyed look. I’d pad every part of my body which I didn’t feel was keeping up with the norms. I did everything which at the end of the day made me feel more crap about myself. That’s why today I work damn hard to fight against anybody shaming,” she said.
And towards the end, Sameera Reddy, who is a mother of two, appealed to fans to focus on being happy rather than worrying about their body size. She said “If you’re following me, promise me to just stay focus on your goals and we will all get there. I can angle myself and look really skinny right now or I can show how I got this double chin, or that I have a flab. But I’ll lose my weight in a good time, right now, stay happy. It’s ok, we will get there. Focus on happiness.”
