"You are beautiful no matter what they say, words won't bring you down.. ",
This song by Christena Aguilera stuck with me for a long time.
I am not a pretty girl, or best in shape. I was a plump girl in school with bushy eyebrows, pigtails and a pair of spectacles. I went to a convent girls school , and they did not make it easy for a girl like. I was often ridiculed for my weight, which made me low on self confidence.
Made me wonder, how much do appearances matter in this world?
With age, came wisdom. It is not difficult for a woman to look good. I lost some baby fat during early college days and a little bit of grooming changed my appearances for the better. I did not plan this makeover due to the body shaming done to me at school, it just happened.
I never had a carved body. I eat moderately, do some basic yoga and lead a healthy life. The second stage of body shaming came during marriage. I had people advising me on how I should lose weight to pair up "better" with my rather handsome husband. Why did the same body need effort just because I was getting married? The answer I got was, cause those photos will stay with you forever.
Really? The most important occasion was downsized to a photo session. I had too much on my mind to even bother about the photographs on that day. New home, new family, language and culture changes.. Should I care too much about my waist size then?
However, people have taken me by surprise with the latest act of body shaming..during my pregnancy. I did yoga for all 9 months, enrolled for prenatal classes and had an average healthy weight gain of about 10-12 kgs. BY the 8th month I was a healthy pregnant woman. Nothing mattered more than the health of my child. I ate simple Indian home cooked food and went to work till I could.
But once again social gatherings irked me. When you are pregnant, jokes about how you have put on weight don't seem funny. A woman goes through a whirlwind of emotions, hormonal changes during this phase, The least people can do is, not talk about her appearance.
Then Aisha came, and things did not go as anticipated. Some health issues and probably post partum feelings which I could not contain , have led to a decent weight gain. 4 months post her birth, I finally have things in order. All in order except my weight . Some people speak with genuine concern and some resort to body shaming. it doesn't matter, if they add "don't worry about your weight right now" just after cracking a joke on the same, I know I will get back in shape and get back to work soon...but I do wish people made it easier for women knowing what goes into marriage, giving birth and rearing a life.
A pretty woman is the one with beautiful thoughts, conversations and the ability to get up and move on. Challenge me on that and I will show you what is beyond my body, is my own mind. Try putting that to shame, will you :-) ??
This song by Christena Aguilera stuck with me for a long time.
I am not a pretty girl, or best in shape. I was a plump girl in school with bushy eyebrows, pigtails and a pair of spectacles. I went to a convent girls school , and they did not make it easy for a girl like. I was often ridiculed for my weight, which made me low on self confidence.
Made me wonder, how much do appearances matter in this world?
With age, came wisdom. It is not difficult for a woman to look good. I lost some baby fat during early college days and a little bit of grooming changed my appearances for the better. I did not plan this makeover due to the body shaming done to me at school, it just happened.
I never had a carved body. I eat moderately, do some basic yoga and lead a healthy life. The second stage of body shaming came during marriage. I had people advising me on how I should lose weight to pair up "better" with my rather handsome husband. Why did the same body need effort just because I was getting married? The answer I got was, cause those photos will stay with you forever.
Really? The most important occasion was downsized to a photo session. I had too much on my mind to even bother about the photographs on that day. New home, new family, language and culture changes.. Should I care too much about my waist size then?
However, people have taken me by surprise with the latest act of body shaming..during my pregnancy. I did yoga for all 9 months, enrolled for prenatal classes and had an average healthy weight gain of about 10-12 kgs. BY the 8th month I was a healthy pregnant woman. Nothing mattered more than the health of my child. I ate simple Indian home cooked food and went to work till I could.
But once again social gatherings irked me. When you are pregnant, jokes about how you have put on weight don't seem funny. A woman goes through a whirlwind of emotions, hormonal changes during this phase, The least people can do is, not talk about her appearance.
Then Aisha came, and things did not go as anticipated. Some health issues and probably post partum feelings which I could not contain , have led to a decent weight gain. 4 months post her birth, I finally have things in order. All in order except my weight . Some people speak with genuine concern and some resort to body shaming. it doesn't matter, if they add "don't worry about your weight right now" just after cracking a joke on the same, I know I will get back in shape and get back to work soon...but I do wish people made it easier for women knowing what goes into marriage, giving birth and rearing a life.
A pretty woman is the one with beautiful thoughts, conversations and the ability to get up and move on. Challenge me on that and I will show you what is beyond my body, is my own mind. Try putting that to shame, will you :-) ??
