How she started her journey
I have always been very confident about my appearance . Although people around me did call me by
cute names around being Fat or Big , that still never bothered me . It’s always been my nature to see
intent rather than the actual words .Calling me Moti as a descriptive word doesn’t bother me…if
someone used it to shame me then I’d give it back to them but that rarely happened ’cause when you
are truly comfortable and happy with yourself , you intimidate those who aren’t ☺️
In 2016 , I walked India’s First ever Plus Size Fashion Show at Lakme Fashion Week . There I interacted
with a lot of people and realised that fat people aren’t like me… they’ve struggled with body image
issues for decades and still continue to deprive themselves of basic joys . I had anyway left my Head
Fashion Stylist job at Channel V and I had a knack for writing and Fashion . That’s when I decided that I
should share the confidence and positivity that I have towards my body , with people through my blog
and Instagram , in the hopes that if even 1 person starts living a better life , my work is done ☺️. And
here we are , 5 years later , inspiring so many ✨
Difficulties and challenges
In 2014 , I met with a very bad car accident . I couldn’t get out of bed for almost 2 months but every
doctor we visited , blamed this condition on my weight and didn’t even ask me to get an MRI . I have
always been fat but I’ve also always been very fit because I’ve been a dancer . At that point in time
,when I had the accident , I was fit enough to randomly do 50 push ups if asked to but there I was not
even being able to go to the bathroom without help . Through various treatments I did start walking but
slowly my condition started to get worse . 5 years later , I had gotten to such a stage that I couldn’t even
stand for a few seconds without excruciating pain . Even then when we visited doctors , they blamed it
on my weight . That’s when I decided to take matters into my own hands and got an MRI done and
guess what…my spine had broken during the accident ! I was devastated. Not only was my spine broken
but because it was left untreated for so long , I also had severe nerve damage . We consulted the biggest
spine surgeons in Bombay to no respite . I had two options , either sulk away my entire life because of
my condition or work on my mental strength , accept this change in my body and move on with the one
life that I have , happily . No guesses that I decided to do the latter ☺️. I now workout and strengthen
my muscles around the injury . It’s a lifetime cycle of some okay days and some extremely painful days
because also my job is such that it’s physically very taxing but I have found coping mechanisms to keep
my pain at bay and continue doing what I love . Medical Fatphobia is the worst…when a doctor plays
with a patient’s life just because of their weight stigmas , it’s the worst thing that they can do as a health
practitioner . There are so many different types of bodies and the medical approach to them must also
be different . Denying someone a basic like diagnosis on the basis of their weight has been fatal to so
many and this must stop .
The impact of plus size in your lifestyle
I’ve always been fat and it has never come in the way of me doing things that I love . The only point
where I used to feel bad was when I couldn’t find trendy clothes my size but now fortunately that’s also
changing .
The plus size women of Indian society dealing with the emotions.
I really feel bad when hear some of the stories that my followers share with me . It’s sad that women
around the world are expected to look a certain way to be considered worthy but more so in countries
like ours where patriarchy plays such a huge role in our day to day traditions . The only ambition that
most women here are given is to get married and for that she has to be fair and thin . Her personality ,
talent and intelligence literally have no value ! We as a society need to understand that 1. Beauty comes
in all shapes , sizes and colours 2. Beauty is not the only thing that women bring to the table and lastly
that 3. marriage is not the end all and be all for women .
Parents need to nurture these thoughts into their girls and give them strength and confidence rather
than trying their best to make them fit into these stereotypes . And girls themselves also must take
inspiration from people like me and get stronger . That’s the only way for now unfortunately . We’re
swimming against the tide by trying to live a happy life without conforming to society’s stereotypes . It
will take a lot of willpower and strength ��
Words for the plus size women of India
Be strong . Focus on everything else that’s good in you and not your body . Remember , your body does
a lot for you and keeps you alive . It’s doing its job . Looking beautiful is not it’s job Appreciate and
accept it and know that you’re so much more than a Body
