India slams Aishwarya for failing to lose weight - Page 7

Cut Aishwarya some slack

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai is arguably one of the most beautiful people in the world. Her piercing eyes, flawless skin and astonishing presence is what helped her to win Miss World in 1994. Pictures and videos of the 38-year-old actress display her almost super-human beauty. About six months ago, Rai gave birth to a daughter, and like any mother she has subsequently put on some weight. For any new mother, a few extra pounds is not a big issue, but for Aishwarya it sparked an international debate.

Many people in the media voiced their unhappiness and even anger against the actress, stating that she should have been back to her normal weight by now and that they expect her to look better than she does. The backlash is based on expectations that actresses, or famous people in general, need to look perfect at all times. There is a belief that a beautiful women cannot ever gain weight, age or look disheveled. She needs to have pouty red lips, a small waist and a six-pack; even if she has just given birth within the year.

Aishwarya's beauty might seem super-human, but she is still just a normal woman who had a baby. For the media to turn on her and make her feel bad about a few post-delivery pounds is unfair. People's expectations of her are not the actual guidelines of what is good for her and her body. The arguments against her new weight pointed to the fact that others in her situation were able to meet public expectations and that she has a responsibility to continue looking good, no matter what happens in her life.

Other people are just that, other people. Not everyone's body reacts the same to pregnancy, ageing or diet. And as for looking perfect again, people need to realize that beauty can take on many shapes and sizes. Saying that Aishwarya needs to get back to her pre-baby body so that she can be considered beautiful again is unjust and a little ignorant.

Yes, she was a beautiful woman in her 20s and 30s and she will continue to be a beautiful woman for the rest of her life. Beauty does not stand still, it evolves, changes and adapts to different stages.

For years the debate over the effect of the media on a girl's self-esteem has been raging. The 'skinny' pictures in the magazines, actresses in movies and models on the runway have all been accused of being the cause of anorexia and bulimia. Now that a women steps out in her natural weight, she gets reprimanded for it. You would think the media would finally embrace an actress showing women around the world that it is normal to gain weight, and that it is not normal to be the 'perfect' size all of the time.
And finally, when Aishwarya won Miss World, she did so with a combination of outer beauty as well as inner beauty, personality and brains. Now that she weighs a few more pounds should not mean that she is no longer physically beautiful, and it definitely does not mean that she is any less beautiful on the inside, have any less personality and is any less smart than she was when she was a few pounds lighter.

By Sawsan Kazak
sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/05/17/cut-aishwarya-some-slack/