In June 2017, Nisha Rawal had embraced motherhood and since then, she has been inspiring the mommies-to-be with her workout routines. Now, Nisha shared her experience with belly-shaming.
Be it a wedding coming up, a beach vacation planned or just want to flaunt the new summer clothes that you have shopped, every girl desires to have a non-existent belly. The belly fat ruining your beach outfit, hiding your stomach with the dupatta at the wedding or the crop top giving a glimpse of the junk food you have had over the years, it's a nightmare for every girl to have fat around her belly. More so, because the society judges them for being 'unfit' and body shames them. And it is the celebrities, who become the target of body shaming or fat-shaming, every now and then as they are constantly under the scrutiny. (Also Read: Mahhi Vij Shares She Is Proud Of Her C-Section Scar As She Narrates Her Body-Shaming Experience)
But one must lose that fat or come in the desired shape only because they want to become fit and not due to the body shaming. Be it B-town actresses, Sonakshi Sinha, Anushka Sharma, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vidya Balan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan or TV celebs, Mahhi Vij, Smriti Khanna amongst others, their social media profiles were flooded with demeaning comments and were body-shamed by the people, sitting behind their computer/phone screens. Main Lakshmi Tere Aangan Ki fame, Nisha Rawal also belongs to this list and just like others, she also decided to give it back to the trolls.
In June 2017, Nisha Rawal had embraced motherhood and since then, she has been inspiring the mommies-to-be with her workout routines and diet tips. Nisha's incredible transformation has been an inspiring one, but still, she was belly shamed a few times. Hitting back at the trolls, who had belly shamed her by asking if she's pregnant, Nisha posted a picture flaunting her belly and captioned it, "BELLY-SHAME! This picture was clicked yesterday & 'No! I ain't pregnant' & 'Yes! I have a belly' This must be my 3rd elaborate post on shaming! Shame, 1stly is the strongest of human emotions! The victim withdraws into his shell. It never did anyone, any good! Belly shame is one of the many kinds of shaming we have in our stigmatised society! I have always had a tummy. It would become smaller or bigger depending on my fitness regime but would never go away! I was always ashamed of it & that made me do things that would either injure me by beating myself up in the gym doing crunches until my muscles went into a cramp or would do the opposite with my hog-sprees!"
Nisha Rawal is married to Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai fame, Karan Mehra. Revealing how everyone had their eyes on her tummy ever since she had tied the knot, Nisha continued, "After we got married, all eyes were even more on my tummy! And now they the audacity of transforming into questions, at the red carpet, in the lift, in interviews, coffee shops: 'Are u pregnant?' While I was like, 'Am I supposed to be or am I even supposed to answer that question or should I work more on my belly, and towards the end of it, that shame would make me indulge more, making it a vicious cycle! See that's what shaming does, it just makes the victim do more of what he is shamed about." (Also Read: Falguni Peacock Body Shames Plus-Sized Brides Advising Them Not To Wear Deep-Necks, Netizens Troll)
Urging women to let go of the stigma and let in the love, Nisha Rawal concluded her post with "We all have shamed someone, knowingly or unknowingly because our culture conditions us to believe it's normal to ask anyone, 'Hey why all the weight?' 'Don’t u eat anything?' 'You must be dieting too much', and on goes the list! And after we have babies, except for a rare, few women, our bellies are never the same! They sag and have stretch marks! We won't wear a bikini, won't have sex with lights on and would suddenly become so conscious of the bodies we have lived in all our lives! It’s not easy to accept this newfound body post birth. But let's atleast hold each other's hands and try! Let's uplift each other! A few stretch marks and a changed belly does not change our soul! Let’s learn to love ourselves. We have all been victims and culprits of shame! Let go of this stigma! Let in the love! I am listening, if you wish to share anything! Sharing is therapy to our heart! @missnisharawal."
Nisha Rawal, on her Instagram page The Motherhood Chronicles, had posted a picture when she was 8 weeks pregnant and had to attend the wedding of her friends, Suyyash Rai and Kishwer M Rai. Penning her feelings on attending the wedding when she had not announced her pregnancy to the media, Nisha had written, "8 weeks pregnant! This was the night I was heading to @suyyashrai @kishwersmerchantt wedding. We hadn't broken to news to the media yet, so going and facing so many people and media socially was a little difficult. But then friends are special and you definitely don't want to miss their special day! Not to miss the beautiful @rohitkverma outfit made me want to dress up and flaunt. Still remember the fun we had at our wedding when they both came. Memories etched in my heart forever!"
Reminiscing the first picture she had posted on social media, flaunting her baby bump to announce that baby Mehra is on its way, Nisha Rawal had penned a heartfelt note on pregnancy. Nisha had written, "This is the first picture I shared on social media, breaking the news of our little one on the 9th of January 2017. Your consistently growing love for my journey of pregnancy, motherhood, parenting and family has compelled me to document this page purely for those about to embark on this journey or in the middle of it, who might have so many questions and might find it easier when a friend shared her experiences! Pregnancy is such a miracle, every parent feels it differently!" (Also Read: Aishwarya Rai Reveals How She Was Body Shamed For Post-Pregnancy Weight Gain After Aaradhya's Birth)
Have you ever faced belly-shaming? Let us know your story!