Swara Bhasker is calling out the unrealistic expectations and scrutiny that women face after childbirth. The actor recently shared a throwback photo from 2018 that drew distasteful body-shaming remarks from online trolls.
On her Instagram stories, she posted a screenshot of one such message, which read, “Kaha se kaha tak aa gayi ho tum, you were such a great actor…don’t know why???”
Swara shared a strongly worded post on Instagram, calling out the double standards and unrealistic expectations imposed on women. She highlighted that a knack for acting has nothing to do with weight loss.
Bhasker wrote, “I chose not to bounce back” and shared a collage of her photo from 2018 alongside a recent photo of her holding her daughter Raabiya, with her back to the camera.
She emphasized that women’s bodies are not objects to be sexualised or moulded to fit narrow, internet-driven standards of thinness and glamour. Swara highlighted how profoundly life changes after becoming a parent – there is no reverting to what once was.
She made a conscious decision not to prioritise weight loss, choosing instead to focus on embracing motherhood and being present for her child.
Bhasker added, “Of course we miss our old life, our young and free version, our thinner and tighter bodies but to mindlessly keep idealising our younger thinner selves – to force our bodies to bounce back or here and there and fit into versions of your past that are gone, is a kind of cruelty.
She called out the relentless pressure on women to appear camera-ready and conform to the expectations of strangers online. She described the constant shaming of women for not losing postpartum weight as “both unintelligent and nasty.”
Bhasker emphasized that talent and the ability to perform have no correlation with body weight, and that women should live their lives the way they want.
