After a workout session early this week, actor Shikha Talsania took to social media to share a reel that made a statement about not feeling guilty about one’s body. “There were a lot of conversations about putting on weight [during Diwali]. Everybody in the world, irrespective of how their body looks like, is insecure. But our body is what we live in and we should be proud of it,” she asserts.

Talsania believes that social media has a role to play in reinforcing the concept of perfection. “Today, everything is about profiles, angles and filters. The amount of time that we use to think of vanity has gone up. There are so many apps that can completely alter your look and it’s unbelievable. Let’s not distort our images in our own heads,” she shares.

According to her, the only way to prevent the notion of perfection affecting us is to look at the mirror: “There’s a sea of perfect images out there. These things get to you. We need to keep reminding ourselves that just because a person looks a certain way, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be proud of the way we look.”

Though the Veere Di Wedding (2018) actor has opened up about being body shamed in the past, she says that the situation, today, is quite different. “I’ve faced rejection earlier because of the way I looked. Having said that, I work very hard and I’m lucky to have opportunities that help me be someone who can bring more inclusivity and diversity in our industry,” she says, adding, “I’ve never been told, ‘Let’s get you Photoshopped’, which is great, as it means there’s a lot of awareness around now about who we truly are.”